RWBY: Colorless Memories
by Starlight's Poet
Summary: "Only a human can kill Gods. Without humans, the war will never end." Lyxus woke up in Emerald Forest with no memory of how he got there. Even worse, he doesn't even know who he is. Ozpin, recognizing his potential, welcomes him to Beacon, and lets him join Team RWBY as their fifth member. However, what nobody realizes is that Lyxus' past is far more dangerous than they realize.
1. Intro

Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past.

Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness – creatures of destruction – the creatures of Grimm – set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void.

However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named "Dust".

Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return.

So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world", but take heed... there will be no victory in strength.

But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.

And yet... when one has forgotten their past, their history, then they have become a canvas that can be dyed any color; a color that can shape this as they see fit. A canvas that can be painted in small, honest streaks... or in dark, malevolent colors.

This story... is one molded by those who watch events unfold, those who record this story.

This is the story of one individual who's actions shall change the world.

* * *

 **Name:** Lyxus Animus

 **Nickname:** Lyx

 **Color:** None

 **Gender:** Dependent

 **Race:** Human

 **Handedness:** Ambidextrous

 **Complexion:** Pale

 **Hair:** White with Black streaks

 **Eyes:** Silver (Right), Red (Left)

 **Semblance:** Unknown

 **Height:** '5, 7" ft

 **Weight:** 135 lbs

 **Affiliation:** Beacon Academy

 **Team:** Dependent

 **Partner:** Dependent

 **Occupation:** Student

 **Likes:** Learning about other people, Regaining their memories, Making new memories

 **Dislikes:** Bullies, Prejudice, Lack of memories

* * *

 **Hello everyone, and welcome to my latest fic, "RWBY: Colorless Memories." First off, I would like to thank everyone that's supported me on fanfiction, and on various sites. My friend, Joshua, died in a drunk driving accident not too long ago. He was a great man, a best friend and a brother-figure. He was the eldest son of four, having two little sisters and one younger brother. He was a Senior, and he was the greatest person I've ever met. He was the one who got me into many games and anime series, and thanks to him, I was able to get into RWBY. First episode in, and I was already hooked.**

 **This story, along with my other one, "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Revolution," are dedicated to him.**

 **Now, before I go into full throttle here, let me explain. This story is unique, evident by the summary. I've posted a poll on my profile, which will determine which team Lyxus will join, and after that, I'll post another poll, asking for the gender. The reason for this is because I'll be posting another version of the story, with Lyxus joining the opposite team. For example, if Lyxus joins JNPR as a boy, then in the other version, Lyxus will join RWBY as a girl. Once those two are done, future polls will decide how the story flows from there, but I'll also post polls for love interests. Who they are, I will explain in time.**

 **I hope you all will enjoy this story. I'll be posting another RWBY story, a crossover fic, which was the story me and Joshua were working on before the accident.**

 **As always, I hope you all have a wonderful day, or night, wherever you live. Please, be safe!**

 **Demons Anarchy of Pride, out!**


	2. Prologue

**RWBY: Colorless Memories**

* * *

 _Opening Theme: Hey Kids! by Amanda Lee  
_

 _ **"TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE HERO!"  
**_

 _ **[Instrumental]**_

 _ **Tonight, they'll don their masks – the kids that tear it down**_

 _ **And all these scheming lies will soon evoke the end**_

 _ **Turn up the temperature, entice that golden taste  
**_

 _ **Give it some FLAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR** _

_**"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Return to the yesterday we cast away,**_

 _ **The scene will overflow**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **We'll overrun the point of no return, I know**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego**_

 _ **"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"**_

 _ **Call out to me, come on, again and again**_

 ** _"YOU KNOW? I'M REALLY TIRED OF YOUR PISS-POOR ATTITUDE_**

 ** _MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY  
_**

 _ **SHOW ME SOME RESPECT, JEEZ!**_

 ** _DO YOU - DO YOU HAVE ANY?!_**

 ** _IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF  
_**

 ** _I SWEAR YOU DO IT TO PISS ME OFF!  
_**

 ** _TSK, WHAT A SHAME_**

 ** _YOU DO DON'T YOU?!"  
_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Return to the yesterday we cast away,_**

 ** _The scene will overflow_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _We'll overrun the point of no return, I know_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego_**

 ** _"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"_**

 ** _Call out to me, come on, again and again_**

 ** _Whoa-ooo-oooh_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your haaaaaaand!_**

 ** _NOW SWEAR TO RESPECT THE HERO!_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

* * *

Volume I: Remnant's of the Past Forgotten

 _Prologue: A New Chapter, A New Story_

The Emerald Forest was vast, stretching out all across as far as the eye could see beyond the cliffs that overlooked it. Lush, green, spreading all across the landscape like a carpet. However, simply because it was apart of the same grounds as Beacon Academy, and the most frequent battleground during Initiation, where new students would test their mettle and become apart of the teams that would attend these halls for the next four years, did not mean it was without danger. Students were tested here because of the beasts that lurked here, monsters all knew well; the Creatures of Grimm. The sound of battle rung all through out the forest, battling either themselves out of petty anger, or the Grimm that lurked in the shadows. Unknown to them, however, small cameras, attacked to a propeller at the top of their design, wandered about the forest, keeping an eye on the situation. In the event that a student was severely injured, teachers would intervene immediately. However, in that event, the student in question wouldn't be able to attend Beacon, given that they were unable to handle themselves, as is expected of them.

Beacon Academy had many standards, but it's Headmaster firmly believed in the potential of others. He stood atop the cliff that overlooked the sight, one hand on his cane and the other holding a scroll. He was a middle-aged man, dressed mostly in black, his hair light gray, an odd sight given he was still rather young, and small round black glasses sitting atop the bridge of his nose, while his brown eyes observed the battles displayed on his Scroll. "Roughly 20% of the initiates have found themselves team members." the woman beside him informed him. She was quite young, perhaps within her mid-twenties, wearing a white dress shirt with a black skirt, and a tattered purple cape flowing behind her. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, while her sharp, green eyes stared past her glasses and at her own Scroll. "No accidents either..." A pause. "Yet."

"Well, it has only been ten minutes." the man said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm quite curious to see the teams we'll have this year."

The woman rolled her eyes, knowing he was referring to the girl he allowed to enter Beacon two years ahead of time. In her opinion, the girl was quite reckless. Not only was she willing to jump in, head first, and take on a dangerous criminal, but she had nearly ended up being killed. She didn't care if she was trained by a certain skilled scythe master, she was not ready for what Beacon was going to give her. Although, that said, he doubted he had any say in the headmaster's opinion. Once the man made a decision, it was hard to change it. If he saw something in the girl, she had no choice but to accept the changes. Either way, she was also concerned about another initiate. From what she read on his transcripts, his skills were slightly above average, but given to what she was seeing so far, he had absolutely NO experience. How the boy got in was anyone's guess, but for now, all she could do was observe.

It had passed eleven minutes when the cameras found something interesting. The woman narrowed her eyes, tapping her Scroll a few times before the image on it blew up, allowing her to expand the image and get a better look at what the cameras were watching. "What on Remnant?" she muttered in confusion. The man raised an eyebrow as he took a peek at his scroll. "Is this boy seriously napping?" she said in exasperation and in slight irritation. "In the middle of initiation?"

The man hummed as he took out his own Scroll. After a few taps and browsing through the information present, a curious smile formed on his face. "Well... This will prove to be interesting."

"Sir?"

"He's not one of the new students."

* * *

When Lyxus woke up, he found his head thumping heavily, almost like someone was beating a drum inside of his skull. Pain echoed across his body as his fingers twitched, and his eyes fluttered open. Rays of sunlight danced across his retina, forcing him to wince in addition to the pain. He felt completely sore, as if something had just slammed him straight into the ground and then threw something on top of him. At first, he couldn't feel anything in his body other than pain. After a while, however, feeling soon returned to him. He flexed his fingers, feeling the uncomfortable feeling of bones cracking and popping as he opened and clenched his fist before feeling the dumbness in his legs from being immobile. He pushed himself up to his feet, albeit swaying due to a sudden brush of dizziness, forcing him to steady himself on his feet.

 _'What...'_ he wondered briefly, feeling the uncomfortable aching pain slowly beginning to subside, and his head clearing. _'Happened?'_

He tried to search his memory, but when he had done so, a brief flash of pain echoed in his head, causing him to growl, palming his forehead. "Tch...!" he seethed, fingers digging into his head before calming down. He shook his head, his hair flapping to and fro as he did so. "My head..." As the pain faded, Lyxus looked around. He appeared to be in some kind of forest, though the silence and quiet air unnerved him. Quite honestly, it made him very uncomfortable.

"Where...where am I...?" he questioned to no one. A sigh escaped him, scratching the back of his head. "No use staying around here." he decided before giving himself a once over. Other than his clothes, he found only a pair of twin blades, one on either side of his person, with black sheathes. "At least I have something to defend myself with." He grabbed the sheathed weapons and held them in his hand, the weight of them feeling familiar to him. He slipped them back to their respective holsters, and walked deeper into the forest.

* * *

It had been a few minutes since Yang Xiao Long had been launched into Emerald Forest, and so far, she had only found nothing but silence, trees, and leaves in her quest to find a partner and her sister. "Rubes?" she called out. "Hey! You here? Hello!" she bellowed out, only to receive her own echo as a response. A shake of the head followed, and a sigh came after. "Why am I not surprised?" She scratched the back of her head as she observed her surroundings. The forest was oddly quiet, but she could hear fighting off in the distance. Most likely, teams were being formed as they speak. Now, don't get her wrong, she was looking for a team herself, but she was looking for Ruby because she was worried about her. She came to Beacon two years ahead of everyone else, so she was easily nervous, despite her confidence in her skills. She would form a team with Ruby, there was little doubt about that, but she wanted her sister to strike out on her own. After all, she wouldn't be there to cuddle her forever.

Suddenly, movement was seen out of the corner of her eye. "Ruby?" Yang asked, peeking through the brushel. "Is that you?"

"Grrrr..." The black shadow growled. It stood on all fours before it rose up and stood on its hind legs. It was a massive, bear-like creature with fur as black as midnight. It's back was covered with ivory spikes while a white mask with red markings was present on its face.

Yang's smile dropped. "...nope." She quickly jumped back, avoiding being thrashed when the Ursa swung it's paw at her, as if to rip off her head. "Hey, big guy." Yang waved at the Creature of Grimm, known as the Ursai Major. "You seen a little girl with a red hood and a scythe around these parts?" In response, the Ursa roared, and swung it's paw down. Yang leaped back, performing a backflip to achieve some distance. She flipped her hair back as she she grinned. "You could have just said no instead of _'rawr._ '" The Ursa roared again before charging. Yang grinned and cocked her wrists, activating her yellow shotgun gauntlets from their bracelet form: Ember Celica. The beast roared up, running toward her at top speed. Yang slammed her fists into the ground, creating a loud 'bang' as she was propelled into the air, a result of Ember Celica's kickback. She vaulted over the Ursa, shooting off another blast. The beast staggered a bit, swaying through it's charge before it slammed into the trunk of a tree. "Oof," she giggled. "That had to hurt." The Grimm pulled itself away, shaking it's head before turning to Yang, fangs bared in anger. She was about to brace herself for another charge when a loud, bellowing cry emerged from her side. Acting quickly, she brought up her arms, and was thrown back by the sheer amount of force that was put into the strike. Her body tumbled through the ground before she came to a stop.

Looking up, she found another Ursa. This one was glaring at her as well, snapping a loud roar.

"Two for the price of one, huh?" she said as she dusted herself off. "Okay then!" She jumped up, curling her legs up into a ball, leaving the third Ursa to charge in, and run into the second, causing them both to tumble into the ground. As she hit the ground, Yang pounded her fists together. "Sweet~" she said cheekily, excited. She was going to get to fight three Ursa, all at once! This was going to be a lot of fun! ...wait, she was supposed to find Ruby, wasn't she? Eh, oh well. It could wait. Her sister was tough, so she wasn't too worried about her. After all, their uncle taught her how to use that scythe of hers, so she'll be kicking ass and taking names.

That meant... she could kick the shit out of these suckers~!

"Alright boys," Yang smirked. "Who wants a taste of Yang?" The one on the right growled before charging in first. It stopped just short of her, and swung it's paw. She ducked underneath it, and delivered an uppercut to it's jaw, knocking it upward. With a follow up, she swiveled around on her feet, cocked her fist back, and threw a right hook, hitting it's underbelly. Almost like a boartusk, it's body flipped about into a ball for a few short seconds before hitting the ground, left in a daze. One of the two Grimm from earlier, got back up, and charged at her again. This time, it was ready to bite off her head. Not wanting to get her hair damaged, she instead chose for the direct approach, and rammed her fist in it's jaw, causing it to stagger back. The third Ursa came up from behind the second, ready to slam it's weight on her. She avoided it by flipping backwards on her hands, launching herself into the air to make some distance. Once she did, she unloaded two shots. One hit the first one in the face, causing it to recoil, while the other hit it's shoulder, causing to it cramp down on it's leg.

Meanwhile, the first Ursa charged in, now seething with anger. Yang cracked a cocky grin as she charged in to meet it's advance. Without stopping, she ducked underneath the swipe of it's paw, and swiveled around on her foot. Now behind the Ursa, she jumped up on it's back, and reared back both of her fists. With a swift succession, she began to unload Ember Celica as her fists pounded away at it's armor on it's back. Each struggle caused it to strain to stay on it's legs. Unfortunately it could no longer bear the weight, as she reared both arms back, and swung them both down. A resounding BOOM echoed in the air as Yang was blown off, flying through the air before landing back on the ground. The Ursa cried weakly as it fell on it's stomach, the armor on it's back completely shattered, and it's fur singed. "One down!" she cheered before turning her attention back to the other two.

A massive black paw swung, hitting her on the side.

"Oof!" She grunted as she was thrown into the air. She hit the ground. Hard. But she tumbled and pulled herself up on her feet. "Not bad. So what else can...you..." Her words died in her throat as she saw it. It floated slowly to the ground before her.

A strand of blonde hair.

 _ **HER**_ blonde hair.

The Grimm suddenly felt tense when they saw her body trembling. "Y-you..." Creatures of Grimm held only instincts within them. They knew where to find prey by the feeling of aura, a power that belonged only to humans, those with a soul. It was within their instincts to destroy and maim and kill whatever possessed a soul, yet it was also within their instincts to recognize a potential threat. "Y-you...!" And now, a threat stood before them. Yang's head snapped up, her hair suddenly glowing like fire, and her lilac eyes turning bright crimson.

 _ **"YOU MONSTERS!"**_

She rushed forward with newfound speed, her fist cocked. The Ursa before her didn't even see it coming as her fist impacted its snout, shattering it. The power behind the strike was unlike anything before. This time, it's body was thrown back, thrashing to the ground before hitting a tree. Before it even had a chance to recover, the Ursa was suddenly bombarded with strike after strike after strike. The tree threatened to break was the Grimm was pressed further into it, it's belly being torn apart with each shot. The Ursa howled in agony. Yang delivered once final blow right in the throat. The tree gave way. The bark snapped away, and the Ursa plowed through it, neck crushed and broken. The tree fell over, hitting the ground with a thud. The earth shuddered below their feet. A bellow from behind her reminded that Yang there was another Ursa behind her. She was still seething from the damaging of her hair. She wouldn't be happy until she bashed it apart.

However, no sooner had she turned around did she watch a slim, black wolf, also somewhat armored in thick white bone-like armor; a Beowolf, thrown against the Ursa, sending them both flying. However, in that split second, a white flash dashed right by her, followed by a gleam of silver. It went past the two Grimm, and a second later, black was spew across the ground and sprayed into the air. "...huh?" Yang blinked rapidly, her red eyes returning to lilac, and the glow in her hair died down. Her emotions became calmer, and the rush of power began to cease. Her eyes followed the now fallen corpse of Grimm, and then to the flash.

It was a boy, bearing short white hair with black streaks, and had mismatched eyes: the right eye was colored red, and the left eye silver. He also wore a black dress shirt underneath a white jacket with black trims, along with a white tie tied around the collar of his shirt. Additionally, he wore black pants with black boots bearing several criss-crossed straps and light gray soles. At his hips are twin blades, which were held inside thin black sheathes with red highlights. However, the blades were drawn, revealing black hilts with dark red blades with a thin purple lining along the blade. His face was quite handsome, being rather easy on the eyes. If she were to describe him, he had a rather 'princely' look to him.

"Wha-"

Before she could attempt to question the new arrival, several Beowolves emerged from the brush, all of them charging and snarling and roaring, all of them aiming straight for the white and black-haired teen. The new arrival did not seemed alarmed in the slightest. He merely twirled his short swords and stood his ground.

[Play: RWBT OST - I'm The One]

The pack of Bewolves, ranging between five to eight, charged forward, the apparent Alpha charging forward with the intent of ripping him apart. The boy charged forward to meet the advance. Suddenly, he stopped after only a few seconds, his feet skidding across the earth before swiveling around, leaving him to be in the Beowolf's blindspot. Before the beast could react and correct itself, a pair of blades found themselves burrowed within the Grimms vitals. The blades pierced through it's body with the utmost ease. He twirled around, increasing the momentum of his attacks. In his continued advance, he began his assault on the charging pack, running straight into the thick of it. He flipped his blades into an underhand fashion, and swung. He weaved through the black mass of wolves, slicing off appendages and heads as he charged into the pack. Some of them had avoided him, and retaliated, however his speed and agility was not to be underestimated. His feet glided over the ground as he turned, the blade ripping into one Beowolf's head before his feet seemed to lift themselves off the ground, and struck a Grimm off to his side, the blade ripping across it's shoulder. Still in mid-air, he flipped the blade around in his hand, and slashed another Grimm who had tried to catch him off guard at his side, the blade cutting through it's mask and slicing over it's eye.

The moment his feet hit the ground, he flipped the blade back into it's previous position, and continued the attack, this time rotating from attacking in the ground or in the air, remaining in a staionary position. The Beowolves proved to be resilient, continuing to attack him in spite of the fact that he continued to cut them apart. He didn't rely solely on his blades either. He also focused on his kicks, knocking back any Grimm who became too close for comfort before slashing at them.

Yang watched the entire exchange. She was completely amazed by the sheer skill the boy had.

The remaining Beowolves leaped at him from either side, intent on biting him and ripping him to shreds. However, instead, they only hit themselves, comically left standing in the air before hitting the ground. Bewildered, they searched the grounds, only to find the bust blonde grinned at them. "Bye bye~"

They didn't even let out a growling retort before they were thrashed into the ground, two red blades stabbing into their skulls as the boy landed atop their bodies, ending them almost instantly. The teen slowly rose from his crouch, taking the blades with him. The red swords gave a sickening squelch as they were removed from black and white flesh. Once they were pulled, the corpses began to slowly dissolve into black wisps. The same could be said for the corpses of the Beowolves and Ursas. A soft sigh escaped him as he swiped his blades, removing the black ink from them and slipped them back into their sheathes. "That was a thing..." he muttered before turning to Yang. "Um... you okay?"

"That...was...AWESOME!" Yang exclaimed in amazement.

The boy recoiled from the shout, but blushed heavily as he scratched the back of his head. "Y-you think so?"

"Yeah! You got some mad skills."

"T-thanks." he replied bashfully. "O-oh, um... My name is Lyxus."

"Yang." she introduced herself. "Yang Xiao Long."

"I-It's nice to meet you..."

"Nice to meet ya too, partner~"

Lyxus cocked his head. "Partner?"

"Well, yeah." she shrugged. "We made eye contact, so we're partners for this whole shebang." Her eyes lit up, remembering the purpose behind her search before. "Oh, yeah... Have you seen a girl around here? Small, red, about yay high, silver eyes, carries a freakishly long scythe? Can't miss her."

Sadly, Lyxus shook his head. "Sorry..." he said apologetically. "I haven't seen anyone like that. I just heard growling and fighting, and followed it here." He paused briefly. "Although, I do remember seeing a girl in black."

"You did?" Yang questioned. He must've been referring to Blake, the girl she and her sister met last night.

He nodded. "Y-yeah... I think she should be arriving in just about-" The rustling of foliage grabbed their attention as the subject of their conversation entered the area. From the bushes came another Beowolf. However, it was staggering, trembling on it's legs before it finally fell. Seconds later, it slowly began to dissolve. Out from it was a familiar girl with black hair and amber eyes. In her hands was an unusual black blade. "-now." Lyxus finished.

Yang whistled. "Not bad." she said before waving at Blake. "Yo! What's up?"

* * *

When Blake saw the teen who introduced himself as Lyxus, she wasn't entirely sure what to make of him. He seemed...a bit out of place. As if he was unsure what was going on. But one thing was for sure, the way he carried himself was exactly like what a Huntsman should be. f course, that wasn't what worried her. In her short time here at Beacon, she had made sure to memorize every face she had come across. She scrutinized their faces, making sure to remember every single detail about them. She recalled the mysterious silver eyes the girl, Ruby had, and the scar below the Schnee Heiress' eye. Every small detail was important, and such details were drilled into her head. In only 24 hours, she had memorized the faces of nearly 200 students.

And out of those 200 faces, Lyxus wasn't among them.

She was confused. Why hadn't she seen him until now? Was...was he even a student here? Regardless of the fact, she and Yang and the boy were now partnered, as per the rules Ozpin stated. As such, she would have to work with them as they made their way to the temple, where the artifacts they were tasked with retrieving were located. As they trudged through the forest, she noticed how much the boy of the group seemed to fidget, looking between being anxious or nervous. She couldn't tell if that was just apart of who he was, or if he was simply nervous as part of his nature. From what she observed during his meeting with Yang, he held quite the confidence in battle, but lacked the same edge when he spoke with them.

Perhaps he was just nervous being around girls? Or maybe he was simply nervous around people in general? Either way, at least it won't interfere in a fight when need be. "So..." Yang decided to strike up a conversation as they walked, her hands behind her head. "Anybody else feel an awkward mood coming on?"

The other two looked at her, mentally agreeing. This silence was getting to be be pretty awkward. "Sorry." Lyxus apologized. "I'm not... really one for starting a conversation."

"Yeeeaah...Kinda figured that." Yang shrugged.

Blake shook her head. "How far are we from the temple?"

Lyxus looked up ahead of them, straining his eyes. "Um... Maybe a few minutes ahead?" He pointed out to the distance. Sitting on flat grassland was what appeared to be old remains of ruins, likely their destination. Yang grinned, flicking her nose in response. Finally, they were making some headway! "Should we hurry up?"

"The sooner, the better." Blake pout in her two cents. "I don't exactly like the idea of hanging around here for too long."

"Me too." Lyxus nodded. He really wanted answers as to where he was. The sooner the better.

* * *

"I think we should remove him from the Initiation." Glynda Goodwitch stated coldly, staring at the image intently. "That boy is an unknown. He shouldn't even be here." Ozpin remained silent as he continued to observe the boy. He had seen him in action against those Beowolves, and he was impressed by the child's level of skill. "Ozpin?"

"...while I do agree that the circumstances of him being here are odd, to say the least..." the man said slowly, taking a sip of his coffee. "He certainly has promise."

Glynda frowned heavily, but then her eyes widened in disbelief, recognizing the glint in the man's eyes. The same glint when he encountered Ruby Rose after watching the video of her battle against Roman Torchwick. "You cannot be serious." she said, aghast. "What if he's-"

"Relax." he cut her off, his tone even and calm as always. "We will question him when the students return, but for now... Let's see how he performs." A smile formed across his face. "After all... he's the third person I've met with eyes like that." While the boy may only have one silver eye, that in itself was a rarity. First Summer. Then Ruby. And now the boy, Lyxus.

He couldn't help but laugh. "This year is truly going to be interesting."

* * *

The trio finally arrived at the ruins. Up close, he could tell that it was hardly anything of note. The ruins barely looked old, but signs of decay were evident by the lack of pieces that would have completed it, as well as creeping vegetation encroaching it. Circling the center were several podiums, each with what appeared to be a chess piece sitting atop it. "Chess pieces?" Yang tilted her head. "Are these the relics?"

"Seems like." Blake quipped. "There are a few others missing. I guess this means we weren't the only ones."

"Well, since we're here..." The blonde walked up to a podium and picked a Knight chess piece. "How about a cute little pony?"

"Sure."

Lyxus tilted his head. "Is there a reason behind these pieces?" he asked. Why was the relics of this Initiation chess pieces? Perhaps they held some sort of significance? Before he could ponder this further, a loud scream pierced the air, immediately alerting the group. "What was that?!" Yang asked, eyes wide. "Was that a girl screaming?!"

"Um..." the boy sweatdropped. "It sounded more like a guy screaming like a girl to me."

"Really? Then that's hilarious!" Yang laughed. That scream was really high pitched. The moment was short lived, however, when they heard the sound of roars and snarls. The three immediately turned their attention to the thick brush close to them, where they had entered. To their shock, an Ursa emerged... only it was being hog-tied by a girl with orange hair and green eyes. "Yeehaw!" she cheered as the Ursa slowly emerged, only to fall forward. Immediately, her face fell into disappointment. "Aw, it's broken~"

"Nora...?" A tired voice called out from behind her. It was a young man with black hair, a strand being violet. Sweat was pouring down his face as he gently let himself down from the now-dead Ursa. "Please... _NEVER_ do that again." He paused when he noticed the girl's presence missing. "Nora?"

Lyxus blinked in surprise. "When did she-?" He jumped when the girl suddenly appeared in front of him, holding up the Queen piece in her hands. "I'm Queen of the Castle~" she cheered, dashing all over the place while holding up the chess piece. "I'm Queen of the Castle~!"

"NORA!" the black-haired male cried.

The girl giggled, skipping back to her partner. "Coming, Ren~!"

Blake raised an eyebrow, completely uncertain if what she saw was for real. "Did she just ride here atop an Ursa?"

"Uh..." Yang was cut off as they heard a scream from overhead.

Looking up, it was a girl. She matched the description of the person she was looking for. Above her was a gigantic black bird. He identified it as a Nevermore, a Grimm that was particularly as dangerous as a Death Stalker and a Goliath. "Did she just drop from the sky while riding atop a Nevermore?" he couldn't help but ask, vastly impressed.

"Forget that! Ruby!" Yang shouted at her sister in worry.

"HEEEEEELP!" She flailed in the air.

Thankfully, it appeared that her saving grace came in the form of something slamming into her, throwing her into a nearby tree. To their surprise, it was a teen with blonde hair and blue eyes. From the look in his eyes, and the state of his clothes, it was clear he had just been hurled at high speeds like a rag doll. Not a second sooner, the walls of the remaining ruins were blown apart by a giant creature, heavily armored with two large pincers and eight red eyes, as well as large tail with a golden stinger at the tip. _'Oh boy,'_ Lyxus paled. _'That's a Death Stalker.'_ He then noticed that it was currently engaging a girl with red hair and green eyes, who appeared to be handling herself quiet well, in spite of her foe being one of the most dangerous Grimm in existence.

"Did he just get thrown by a Death Stalker?" Ren asked.

Yang finally had it. "Okay, enough!" she shouted. "Can we PLEASE just shut up for once before something else happens?!"

 _"YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU DUUUUUUUNCE!"_ Lyxus blinked, looking up. It was hard to make it out, but he could faintly see a girl in white hanging on for dear life, clinging to the Nevermore's talon. " _HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!"_

 _'So much for a brief reprieve...'_ Lyxus sweatdropped.

"I said jump..." Ruby offered meekly.

"She's gonna fall." Blake stated.

"She'll be fine." Ruby said in reassurance.

"She's falling." Ren pointed out.

As the girl descended, Lyxus was about to move to grab her and possibly cushion her fall, but the blonde haired boy beat him to it, leaping off the tree and grabbing her in mid-air. While he managed to catch her, he failed to recognize the fact that they were several stories above ground. They plummeted like dropped rocks. The male landed first, sprawled out and face down. The girl landed next, on top of him in a seated position.

"My hero..." She said blandly.

"...my back..." He choked out in pain.

"Great!" Yang threw her hands in the air. "Now we get to die together!"

Lyxus wasn't sure why, but hearing those words made him flinch. _'What...?'_

Die...? They...they were going to die...?

 ** _Shit! Oi, kid! Move your ass!_**

 ** _####! To your left!_**

 ** _Somebody give Lyx some support!_**

 ** _Never mind me, just save ######! She's going to...!_**

 ** _N-no, you can't! Stop! DOOON'T!_**

"Not if I can help it!" He was shaken from his thoughts when the girl, Ruby, suddenly ran forward, reaching for the red object behind her back. It unfurled into a long, red scythe. Yang shouted for her to stop, but Ruby was already in motion. The scythe suddenly let loose a loud 'BANG!', causing it to recoil, and send her flying straight towards the Death Stalker. Lyxus' eyes widened in horror. What in the hell was she thinking?! She was being stupid! She couldn't go up against a Death Stalker by herself! This fact was made evident when it swung it's pincer at her, knocking her away. Her body slid across the ground before she stood back up on shaky feet, easily rattled by the attack. "D-do-don't worry!" she called out weakly. "Totally fine!" She aimed the tip of her scythe, allowing another 'BANG!' to pierce in the air. The shot didn't even so much as affect the Death Stalker, it's armor to thick to penetrate.

Seeing her attack ineffective, Ruby chose the correct course of action. She disengaged her weapon as it folded in on itself, and slipped it behind her back as she took off in a run. "Ruby!" Yang called out in concern, running after her sister. Unfortunately, the Nevermore had noticed them, and began to chase after the red-hooded girl. It let out a blood-curdling caw as it swung it's wings, shooting several fathers that would make the girl it's pincushion. Thankfully, none of them hit her, but one did impale itself on her cape, halting her movements, while the rest impeded Yang's progress. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the Death Stalker creep up on the smaller girl. "Ruby, get out of there!"

"I'm trying!" she shouted back, but only now realized the dire situation as the Death Stalker reared back it's stinger, intent on running her through. She shut her eyes.

Then, a metal clang echoed in the air.

* * *

"No! I won't... let anyone die!"

Ruby's silver eyes opened. Her sight was filled by the unfamiliar boy she had seen her sister with. His back face her, his arms crossed above him. His swords were crossed to shield her from the Deathstalkers stinger. "...whoa."

"Are you alright?!" He asked over his shoulder. Ruby nodded dumbly. She couldn't help but stare back at his eyes. One eye was red, and the other was just like hers; silver. She thought it was unusual. Of all the people she met, the only ones with silver eyes were herself and her mother, Summer. "What are you doing?!" he cried, snapping her back to the real. "Get going!"

"R-Right!" she finally pulled her hood free and scrambled back to the group. Once she rejoined the group, however, Weiss glared at her. "What in the hell were you thinking, you nimrod?!" she snapped, causing Ruby to wince. "Were you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"I was just trying to-!"

"-Get yourself killed?! That was foolish! Rash! And completely irresponsible!" The girl winced. "You are so childish!" the heiress snapped angrily. "And dimwited, and hyperactive..." She folded her arms, giving her an even level glare. "And don't even get me _started_ on your fighting style!" The girl seemed to shrink with each words used. They hurt. They really did. Because they were true. "But..." Weiss sighed, rubbing her hand on her forehead. "I suppose I can be a bit... difficult."

"Understatement of the century," Yang muttered, though she shut up when Weiss glared at her coldly before turning back to the red reaper in front of her.

"If we're going to do this," she told Ruby. "We're doing this TOGETHER. And, I can be..." her face softened. "N-nicer." The group repressed a giggle, which thankfully went unnoticd by the heiress. It was painfully clear how unused she was to all of this. That being said, yang was at least glad that they were finally able to make things better, given everything that's happened between them. Ruby looked bashful as she scratched her cheek. "I-I wasn't trying to show off..." she said. "I just want you to know I can do this."

"You're fine." The heiress shook her head.

"Gragh!" Lyxus cried as he was thrown near the group. He quickly reoriented himself in the air, landing sharply on his feet. "Just dropping by?" Yang joked, earning a collective eye rolls from the group. "So, anybody think we should run?"

"Yeah. Our objective is to retrieve the artifacts and make it back to the cliff. We don't have to fight them." Ruby reminded them.

"Run and live. An idea I can get behind by." Jaune sighed in relief.

Lyxus nodded, and the group made to the ruins, grabbing the chess pieces, and running quickly away.

* * *

"...impressive so far," Glynda commented. "He was able to stop a Death Stalker's stinger with minimal effort." Her eyes narrowed in intrigue, focusing on the red blades he wielded. "Just what could those blades be made of?" It was an observation that intrigued both Professors. Seeing red metal like that on a weapon was rather unusual. One could only guess what it was truly composed of. Ozpin, however, was more curious about Lyxus, as he watched him accompany the group. They had eventually the old bridge that connected to the cliff. However, both the Death Stalker and the Nevermore were both chasing after them. It would be interesting to see how both groups deal with them. He then saw how the groups split off just before the bridge. Nora and Ren fell back and fired their weapons into the hide of the Deathstalker.

"Let us see what you're truly capable of, Mr. Lyxus..."

XXXXXXXXXX

[Play: RWBY OST - Red like Roses]

This was a seriously bad situation. He vaguely remembered the saying, "a rock and a hard place," but this was just outright ridiculous! Not only were they dealing with a Death Stalker, who the girl with the hammer and the boy with the pistols, stated that they would hold off, but they were also trying to deal with a gigantic black bird that was trying to turn them into it's own personal pincushion. Needless to say, this was NOT the sort of situation Lyxus wanted to be in. The boy ran further into the ruins with the girls and Jaune. As they did, Pyrrha slid her feet before coming to a halt, bringing out her weapon. "go, go!" she shouted at them as she went to help the two. She took to Ren's side, and her sword shifted into a double-barreled rifle. They opened fire on the beast as it chased after Nora, who was quickly fleeing to avoid it, but the rounds merely bounced off the shells. Once the excited girl ran past them, they quickly fell back as it swung it's pincers together in an attempt to grab them, only to swipe at air. Due to the narrowness of the bridge, it was impossible for to track after them.

Unfortunately for them, the Nevermore had not forgotten about them as it quickly flew by the large structures around the bridge. It's target was clear in sight. Lyxus' eyes widened, and turned to his companions. "Brace yourselves!" The next second, the bird Grimm rammed it's body into the bridge, causing it to break apart into debris. The group was scattered, with Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren falling to where the Death Stalker was, and the rest on the other side, close to the cliff. Jaune groaned, feeling the impact of being flung away, rubbing his head and back before he turned his attention to the three fighting the scorpion. His eyes widened in concern as he watched Blake, who was the only one among the group without a long-range weapon, get flung back after being hit by one of it's pincers.

"Shit!" he exclaimed in fright. "We have to help them!" He frowned heavily at the gap. There was no way to jump the gap, so how were they supposed to get over there? He looked around his surroundings, trying to find some way to reach them. It was then that he noticed the fissures running along the destroyed portion of the bridge, which ran all the way behind him. An idea streaked across his mind, but it made him pale and gulp. 'This is crazy...' he thought. 'Totally, utterly crazy, but...' He turned to Nora, who looked concern for Ren's safety. "U-um... Nora, right?" The girl turned to him, nodding. "T-this is gonna sound crazy, but... can we make this thing into a launching pad?"

The girl cocked her head to the side, but she quickly got the idea. "Aye aye, Captain~!" she sung as she brandished her weapon, which quickly turned into a large silver hammer. Jaune knew this was going to be a bad idea, but if it was going to help him save his friends, then it was worth doing... He just hoped it wouldn't get him killed. He quickly made his way to where the fissures end, while Nora stood at the opposing side. "You ready?!"

"Honestly?" he deadpanned. "...no."

Nora took this as a 'yes,' grinning like a demented madman, and jumped up. She reared back her hammer, and swung down, creating an explosive blast. The fissures broke apart, and the platform they stood on broke apart, becoming a makeshift launching pad for Jaune. Nora, meanwhile, hopped atop the large head of her axe, and fired off another explosive blast, sending her flying with him. The blonde hit the ground hard, groaning as he landed on his face while Nora fired off another blast as soon as she reached them, launching her into the air. "Nora SMASH!" she cried as she swung her hammer down on the Death Stalker. The force of the swing, with the explosive kickback, as enough to knock it into the ground. Hissing in anger, the scorption tried to impale her with it's stinger, only for her to jump back. Sadly, she hadn't noticed Blake behind her.

The two collided, and Blake was sent flying off the bridge, spiraling towards the abyss below her. She quickly reoriented herself, and slipped her weapon into it's secondary form. She swung it while a black band wrapped around her wrist. Gambal Shroud struck the side of the bridge, allowing her to swing through the air. Her eyes caught sight of the Nevermore, and narrowed her eyes. She quickly pulled back her weapon, which came flying back to her thanks to the retraction system, and then began another swinging movement by throwing it at the tower close by. Her body swung through the air, and was now in the Nevermore's path.

Another swift tug brought the weapon back, and returned to it's original form. The Nevermore was now directly in front of her.

"...my turn."

She changed her weapon, Gambol Shroud, into its firearm mode. She grabbed the Nevermore by the face as it flew straight at her and aimed the barrel of her gun right in its eye. She pulled the trigger. The creature squealed in pain before Blake quickly delivered several quick slashes. She then jumped up to it's back, and ran along it's spine, hacking away at it before jumping off, landing atop a portion of the ruined tower before joining Yang, Ruby, and Weiss. "It's tougher than it looks!" she mentioned, slightly winded.

Yang glared at the black bird before them as she rammed her fists together. "Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" she declared. At this, everyone brandished their weapons. Ruby's Crescent Rose unfurled into it's scythe form while Weiss twirled about, runes dancing underneath her as streaks of blue and red formed around her. Blake switched Gambal Shroud into it's firearm, and took aim.

Everyone then began to shoot at the Nevermore. However, it simply withstood all the blasts and let out a caw as it swung it's wings again, shooting out several feathers with the intent to skewer them. The group braced themselves, but Lyxus was quick to intervene. His eyes narrowed as he rammed the hilts of his blades together. A click resounded before the blades twisted around, and to the girls' shock, it extended into two longer blades. He let the joined blades fall into one hand, showing that the swords had connected together, and began his defense. Time seemed to slow down for him as the feathers approached, gripping his weapon tightly. A bead of sweat fell from his face, but quickly retaliated.

Each feather that came his way was knocked back, a dancing flash of red all around him as he demonstrated great dexterity with his weapon. The weapon seemed to spin all round him, almost as if it were dancing, as he knocked back everything that came his way. Ruby, for her part, was looking at his weapon in amazement. That was an impressive blade, without a doubt, being able to withstand the pressure of a Death Stalker's stinger, but to be able to join together to form a dual sword? It looked VERY cool to her. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, but quickly paled when she saw the Nevermore continuing it's assault.

"Oh, crap."

It rammed it's body once again into the structure, causing it to break apart and fall. The girls, plus Lyxus, used the rubble to jump up back to ground, with Yang and Ruby using the recoil of their weapons to shoot them upward. Lyxus and Blake relied on their own agility and dexterity to reach the bridge again, while Weiss simply used her runes to jump along the air. Yang landed on the opposite side of Ruby and Weiss as she charged in once again. The heiress scowled heavily, glaring at the Nevermore as it flew above them. "None of this is working!" Ruby looked concerned before she noticed Blake landing on another platform, having used Gambal Shroud to swing over to it. The gears in her head began to whirl as she turned her attention to Yang, who was unloading shot after shot with her Ember Celica while Lyxus, who quickly joined her, knocked back any further that got too close for comfort.

Her silver eyes widened, a picture forming in her head, and turned to Weiss. "I have a plan!"

* * *

"We gotta move!" Jaune called out as the platform beneath them began to gave way after the death Stalker rammed it's stinger into the ground, failing to hit Nora as she jumped back to avoid being stung. The force of the strike caused the platform to break apart and fall. The four were quick to run up the descending platform, running straight into the jaws of the Grimm in front of them. It swung it's pincer at them, intending to crush them, but Pyrrha intercepted, defending against it before parrying with her blade. The swing pincer tried to attack her blind spot, but Jaune moved in to defend her, using his shield to block it. Pyrrha used this opportunity to knock back the second pincer, leaving it open. Ren moved in, dashing to the side to avoid being hit by the stinger before latching unto it. He began to open fire on the beast, now directly above it while Nora unloaded her grenade launcher into the bast. The beast, now livid, tried to crush her with both pincers at once, but the two shield-bearers moved in to defend her at once. The brunt of the attack sent them both sliding back, with Jaune tumbling to the ground. The red-haired warrior, however, threw her weapon, now in the form of a javelin. It tried to defend itself, but the javelin went through the small gap between the pincers, and struck it in the eye.

It wailed in pain as it swung it's tail violently, throwing Ren off of it. "Ren!" Nora cried in concern as he was thrown against a pillar. Jaune was about to call over to him, but then noticed the now dangling stinger above the Death Stalker's head. 'It's loose?' he questioned before his eyes widened. 'Wait, that's it!'

"Pyrrha!"

The girl understood the plan immediately, grinning. "Done!" She swung her shield, which span right for the target. The sharpness of the edge was enough to cleanly cut through the remaining flesh binding the tail and stinger together, causing it to lodge in the armor.

"Nora!"

Said girl smiled like a madman as she jumped atop Pyrrha's shield, which returned to her like a boomerang, her weapon already in hammer form. Pyrrha thrusted her upward at the same time Nora fired off her weapon, leaving her to fly through the air, smiling as she sat atop the shaft of her weapon before descending towards the Death Stalker. "BOOM BABY!" she cried as she slammed the hammer down on the stinger, forcing it to break through the air, and straight into the body of the beast. The force of the impact, both from altitude velocity and the amount of strength the explosive kickback, caused the ground beneath them to break apart. Jaune and Pyrrha quickly jumped out of harm's way, while Nora used another explosive kickback to throw her to her friends, leaving the Death Stalker to fall to the misty depths below them.

The ginger flipped in the air from the impact and landed on her feet. Pyrrha and Jaune knelt on the ground out of exhaustion from their fight. Meanwhile, a tired Ren slowly walked up to the group...only to fall face first on the ground.

"I hurt...all over..." He mumbled.

Jaune chuckled weakly. "Amen..." he wheezed. "To that."

* * *

 _ **BANG!**_ "I!" **_BANG!_** "Hope!" **_Bang!_** "You're!" **_Bang!_** " "Hung-" **_BANG_**! "-ry!" **_BANG!_**

Yang screamed as she unloaded round after round of shotgun bullets into the Nevermore's open mouth. The gigantic Grimm flew and tumbled in the air, no doubt feeling the pain of bullets entering its esophagus. With her part done, Yang jumped away, landing on the ground while leaving the Nevermore to crash into the wall. Lyxus took over, and released his blades' bonds, flipping them around in his hand before he launched them forward, impaling the creature where the shoulder and wings met, leaving it pinned to the wall. The blonde brawler smirked as Weiss shot past her, leaping into the air with runes dancing along the shaft of her raper. With a thrust, ice formed and captured the beast by it's tail, ensuring no chances of escape from it. She then returned to her comrades, leaping back to them via bouncing off a rune. Blake released Gambal Shroud, launching it at Yang, who caught the blade and then embedded it into another pillar, thus creating a band. Ruby shot forward, propelling herself forward and catching the band with her scythe.

"Of course you would come up with this idea." Weiss scoffed as she pulled Ruby back with another rune, keeping her in place.

The girl smiled. "Think you can make the shot?"

"Hmph," the heiress grunted. "Can I?"

The silver-eyed girl cocked her head to the side, turning to Weiss. "Can-"

"Of course I can!" she snapped angrily. Ruby nodded, and released the shell casing, leaving a new round to enter the chamber. As soon as Weiss dismissed the sigil, Ruby pulled the trigger, and her Semblance roared to life, causing her to shoot forward at top speed towards the pinned gigantic bird. She landed on the face of the cliff, her scythe catching the Nevermore by the throat. Weiss created glyphs beneath the girl's feet to maintain her traction. Ruby then broke out into a run immediately after landing. As she ran, more glyphs appeared. The Grimm cawed and struggled as it was yanked up by the neck. Ruby fired a shot every so often to give her a boost of speed to overcome gravity. Her speed semblance also helped as she did not lose any momentum. As soon as she made it past the edge of the cliff, she gave one final gunshot, causing the blade of her weapon to give an abrupt jerk, beheading the massive creature.

Red petals danced in the air as the now headless Grimm descended into the abyss to join the Death Stalker, slowly dissolving in the air, thus joining the scattering roses. From where he stood, Jaune was left gaping. "...whoa..."

"Well." Yang grinned. "That was a thing."

Lyxus, however, was staring at the sight in total awe. Strangely, he felt as if he had seen this somewhere before, but then shrugged it off. As Ruby jumped down the cliff, slowly descending thanks to Weiss' sigils, he now noticed the cameras that had been observing them. "What are those?" he asked Blake, pointing to the closest one. "Cameras?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. Even if the teachers aren't allowed to interfere in Initiation, they still want to keep an eye on the situation, just in case."

"I see..." Lyxus nodded. So they monitor the initiates to ensure that they won't do something stupid and die? How responsible.

Once Ruby joined them, they were also joined by Jaune, though given how exhausted he looked, it was safe to say that he had been thrown through the air once again. He was starting to feel sorry for the poor guy. It must have been quite rough. That, and given how many times he went through the air, he could only imagine how rough the flight must have been. "Can we..." he said in exasperation. "Not... do this... Again? Like, ever?"

"No promises...given what we're training for." Yang shook her head in honesty.

Jaune groaned, though Pyrrha gave him an assuring pat on the back. Ruby however grinned at the sigh before turning to Lyxus. "That was cool, by the way." she told him, earning a confused look from him. "I mean, how you looked after my sister while she was shooting."

"O-oh..." His shyness reappeared, a heavy blush on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. "It... was nothing?"

"Thank you so much!" Ruby grabbed his hand and shook it.

Yang laughed as she saw this. "Word of warning, Lyx!" she called out with a grin. "She's a weapon freak!"

"I am not!" She pouted.

"Oh really? And your obsession of weapons comes from something else?"

Ruby tried to form a response, but came up empty. All she could do was give a cute glare to the brawler, who laughed at it. Lyxus, however, was utterly confused. _'Deja vu...'_ he thought. He felt as if he had seen this familiarity somewhere before... but where? His thoughts were cut short by the loud whirring of an engine. The group looked up, and saw a small carrier slowly making it's way to them. "That must be Professor Ozpin." Weiss guessed as she holstered her weapon before looking at Lyxus. "By the by... I don't think I've seen you before. At least, back when we got thrown into Emerald Forest. What's your name?"

"Uh... Lyxus." he answered, unsure of how he arrived there himself. "And you are...?"

"Schnee." she introduced herself. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation."

Lyxus cocked his head to the side. "...um, sorry. Don't know what that is."

"What?!" Weiss yelped in shock. How could someone not know what the Schnee Dust Corporation was?! "Sorry." he said apologetically. "Is it something I should know about?"

"Something you should-! YOU DUNCE!" she screamed, causing him to flinch. She couldn't believe he didn't know what her family was! Even someone as idiotic as Ruby knew what it was, so how in the hell does he not know about it?! "My family is the leading producer of Dust!"

"...still not ringing any bells." Lyxus deadpanned.

"Mrgrgrgr...!" Weiss huffed in annoyance.

Ruby sweat-dropped. "...is anyone else getting deja vu?"

* * *

"...not bad, Animus..." a figure whispered, having watched the battle from afar. Their form remained hidden in the shadows, deep inside the Emerald Forest. The only thing that could be seen of them was the purple cloak that was wrapped around their bodies, as well as the chains that hung off of their body. "Yet... you are far from the man you once were."

* * *

Lyxus knew he had done something wrong.

Currently, after being picked up in the Bulkhead, he was instructed by one of the teachers, a portly man in a red jacket with a mustache, to head to the headmaster's office. Now, the reasons why he was being head there were unknown to him, but he knew he had to have done something wrong. Was it his performance? Or was it because of how reckless he had been, trying to save Ruby without any help? He knew it was stupid of him, but he didn't want her to be killed. He didn't want that. He would NEVER want that on someone. So... what was wrong?

His anxiety was also made worse by the piercing glare of the blonde haired woman in front of him as he sat in the chair, fidgeting with his hands, thumbs circling around one another as they waited for the headmaster to arrive. Soon enough, the man of the hour entered the room, coffee mug in hand. Lyxus straightened when the man looked at him. He stared at him for the longest time, looking at him up and down, as if sizing him up, before offering a slight smile. "I take it Glynda's glare has not exactly hospital." he said jokingly, causing the woman to scowl in irritation. "Still, you've certainly made things intruiging for the most part." The man walked over to the other side of the table, taking a sip of his mug before setting it down and folding his hands together. "My name is Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy." he introduced himself. "And you are...?"

"L-Lyxus, sir." he answered. "Lyxus Animus."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Animus...?"

"Y-yes sir!" The boy nodded quickly. Did he do something wrong? Was that why Ozpin's expression shifted?

Ozpin's expression faded away, however. "I see..." he hummed. "So, tell me... How exactly," he gestured to the Scroll Glynda was holding in her hands, which was showing the battle against the Grimm. "Did you learn how to fight like that?"

Lyxus' face showed little comfort. "I, um... I... don't know. I guess it was just... instict?"

The man smiled wryly. "Yes, well... I suppose fighting with instinct can make one into a deadly force to be reckoned with." He pushed up his glasses. "Now, let me ask you something else." The black and white-haried teen stood up straighter. "How did you end up in the Emerald Forest?"

"I...I don't know..." The boy shook his head. "When I woke up...I found myself in the middle of the forest. I didn't even know where I was until everyone else told me about it." Glynda's eyes narrowed dangerously. Was this boy seriously feigning ignorance?! Ozpin, however, looked more curious. "Then let me ask you something else." Lyxus nodded. "What is the last thing you remember?" Lyxus suddenly become quiet. His eyes looked down at the ground, hands gripping at the pants. "I...I don't know..." He shook his head again. "Wh-when I try to remember...all I see is darkness..."

Ozpin raises an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"It's that... I don't remember anything." Lyxus said. "I don't remember anything, not even about myself... All I remember is how to fight, what Grimm are... and my name is all that's left." He stared back at Ozpin, who's face remained impassive. "S-so, you see, Headmaster, I... don't have any memories."

"...I see..." The man stated, his chin resting on his folded arms. This was quite a conundrum. That was the mystery, the unsolved question behind Lyxus Animus; A boy with no memories. Now the question remains...what should they do about his situation? "S-so, um..." Lyxus stuttered. "What will... happen to me?"

"Well, that remains to be seen." Ozpin stated as he adjusted his glasses. "You DID appear without warning in the Emerald Forest. Normally, I would consider having you detained, or arrested." The boy paled at this, though Ozpin later smirked. "Or... you can attend Beacon Academy."

His eyes widened, lighting up with joy, while Glynda spluttered. "Wha-?! Ozpin, sir, you cannot be serious!"

"I am, Glynda..." he nodded calmly. "you saw Mr. Animus' skill for yourself. He has the potential to become one of the greatest Huntsmen of the generation."

"But he isn't even a student here." she rebutted.

The man smirked. "And neither was Miss Rose."

"But she was a student at a combat school," the woman pointed out. "Whereas HE has no records whatsoever." The two were locked, sparks seemingly flying between the two before Glynda sighed in irritation, pinching the bridge of her nose. "...you aren't even going to listen to a word I say, are you?"

Ozpin merely gave her a knowing smile, and turned his attention back to Lyxus. "So then, Mr. Animus... What would you like to do?"

"I...I..." The man hesitated for a moment. This man...he was really giving him a chance like this? Why...? What made him so special that he would do this? However, he realized that this may be the best chance he has to finding more about himself. "...I accept!"

Ozpin grinned. "Then welcome to Beacon, Mr. Animus."

"I'll get the papers ready..." Glynda groaned before she realized something. "Wait... What about his team placement? He has to join one of the first year teams."

"He's already demonstrated excellent partnership with Miss Rose and her group." Ozpin stated. "Though this would make them the first five man team in a long while." He took a sip of his coffee before speaking again. "Ah, speaking of that, it's almost time the announcements." He stood up, smiling at the boy. "Care to come along?"

Lyxus nodded. "Y-yes, sir!"

With that, he followed them out of the room.

* * *

Several hours later, all the students that had completed the initiation stood together on a large stage. The rest of the student body gathered in the large auditorium and looked on as Professor Ozpin stood at the front by a microphone as he addressed all in attendance regarding the new hunters' success after watching their exploits on the many large screens around them.

"Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. You four retreived the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will be working as team CRDL. Led by, Cardin Winchester." the crowd applauded as the newly appointed team stood proud.

The headmaster turned to the next team as they stood ready. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrah Nykos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team JNPR. Led by, Jaune Arc."

Jaune paled when he heard the man, "Huh?...led by?" he asked while the team congratulated him. Ozpin nodded, "Congradulations, young man." Pyrrah punched Jaune in the arm and he toppled over not expecting it.

Smiling lightly at the display, Ozpin turned to face the last batch of students. He noticed how uncomfortable the poor boy looked, being around four girls while also being looked at by the audience around them. "And lastly... Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Lyxus Animus, and Yang Xiao Long. The five of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team RWBAY. Led by, Ruby Rose."

This caused the five teens, as well as everyone in the audience to freeze. Ruby was frozen by the idea that she was team leader, while everyone else was stunned by the fact there would be five people on this team.

Weiss was also stunned. Because of her training, she half-expected to be named team leader. She was sure her status as a Schnee didn't have anything to do with it, but if it did, there would be some problems. She wanted to be recognized by her own skill and talent, not by simple recognition based on her family name. She also had some reservations about having a boy on a team with four girls, but so long as he behaved himself, she wouldn't have any problems... That, and he really didn't look bad on the eyes either. Blake was fine with the arrangements, but she was a bit off-put by Lyxus. Something about him still didn't seem right with her.

Yang, however, was ecstatic as she ran up and hugged her still-shocked sister. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!" she cheered, nuzzling her head against her sister's cheek.

"Please stop..." Ruby choked out, her oxygen being cut off from the death hug. Fortunately, Yang alleviated her grip and dragged the male of the team into it.

"I'm glad to have you with us, partner!" She cheered. Lyxus' face burned red, as Yang was unaware that she was currently pressing his face against her breasts. Some of the males, including Jaune, couldn't help but feel envious of him for being in that position. Ozpin chuckled. "It seems things are turning out to be a rather... interesting year."

 **-Chapter...END-**

 ** _Next Time: The First Day, First Encounters_**


	3. Chapter 1

**RWBY: Colorless Memories**

* * *

 _Opening Theme: Hey Kids! by Amanda Lee  
_

 _ **"TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE HERO!"  
**_

 _ **[Instrumental]**_

 _ **Tonight, they'll don their masks – the kids that tear it down**_

 _ **And all these scheming lies will soon evoke the end**_

 _ **Turn up the temperature, entice that golden taste  
**_

 _ **Give it some FLAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR** _

_**"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Return to the yesterday we cast away,**_

 _ **The scene will overflow**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **We'll overrun the point of no return, I know**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego**_

 _ **"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"**_

 _ **Call out to me, come on, again and again**_

 ** _"YOU KNOW? I'M REALLY TIRED OF YOUR PISS-POOR ATTITUDE_**

 ** _MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY  
_**

 _ **SHOW ME SOME RESPECT, JEEZ!**_

 ** _DO YOU - DO YOU HAVE ANY?!_**

 ** _IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF  
_**

 ** _I SWEAR YOU DO IT TO PISS ME OFF!  
_**

 ** _TSK, WHAT A SHAME_**

 ** _YOU DO DON'T YOU?!"  
_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Return to the yesterday we cast away,_**

 ** _The scene will overflow_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _We'll overrun the point of no return, I know_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego_**

 ** _"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"_**

 ** _Call out to me, come on, again and again_**

 ** _Whoa-ooo-oooh_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your haaaaaaand!_**

 ** _NOW SWEAR TO RESPECT THE HERO!_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

* * *

Volume I: Remnant's of the Past Forgotten

 _Chapter 1: The First Day, First Encounters  
_

 _"Hey, Lyxus... Why do you think snow is white?"_

 _"Eh? How would I know something like that?"_

 _"Ooh, just answer the question already, you big moron!"_

 _"Well... It's white because it's pretty?"_

 _"Bzzzt! Wrong!"_

 _"Okay, fine then, 'teacher.' Why is snow white?"_

 _"Snow's white because it's pure?"_

 _"Pure?"_

 _"Mm! It's naive, ignorant about the world... but it's also so bright and happy as well, thinking about the future."_

 _"Then... What about when it melts?"_

 _"Then it wakes up from a good dream, a dream that made a world it could be happy before being thrown into reality."_

 _"...be honest with me here, ######. Did you take a swig of ####'s liquor?"_

 _"C'mon! I'm being serious here, Lyx!"_

* * *

Let it be known that Lyxus Animus is a heavy sleeper. Ruby had decided that, as a marvelous idea, they should spend their morning decorating their room to their liking. After all, it was bland as heck, thus a makeover was needed. It was so boring, it needed flare! Something to make it stand out! To that end, she used her trusty whistle she got from her father, Taiyang, to wake up the dang slugbeds. It certainly got Blake and Yang up, as well as Weiss, though hers was a bit more comical as she hit the ground, tumbling out of her bed. She repressed a snicker at this, but the Ice Queen was willing to let it slide... _this_ time. At any rate, all the girls of RWBAY were up!

Now they needed to wake up the boy of the group. She again used her whistle, but the boy was still asleep, covers over his head, and snoring softly. She used her whistle again, this time directly next to him, at the top of her lungs. Still got nothing from him. She decided to bring in the big guns, and used everything she had on her. Firecrackers, party poppers, slamming two drum plates together, she event used Crescent Rose's gunshots!

And Lyxus was STILL sleeping!

"Damn," Yang whistled, clearly impressed by how he was able to remain clocked out. She was all the more impressed by the fact that he could sleep inside a hammock. Due to the fact that the room had only four beds, they scrummaged around the room, and made a makeshift hammock for him. Speaking from personal experiences, Yang could honestly say that she never could get used to sleeping in those. "Five minutes of Ruby's banging, and he is still out like a light."

Weiss, also impressed, but less enthusiastic about the whole thing, sighed as she glared at her team leader. "Move it," she said, albeit a bit more commanding than what she would have liked. "Let me try." Ruby, dejected and hanging her head low in defeat, moved over to Yang and Blake, dragging Crescent Rose behind her. Weiss shook her head, muttering something under her breath as she glared at her teammate's sleeping form. She took hold of his covers, and ripped them right off of him in a single pull. The boy showed little reaction to it, but it did give them a look at his face. It was rather peaceful, a slight smile of serenity on his face, while his arms and legs were slightly curled up. It was almost cute in a way, but it was certainly not going to give him any help.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked out of curiosity.

The heiress smirked. "Waking up a slugabed, Schnee style." she replied as she put a hand to his ear, and called upon her Semblance. A light blue sigil danced around the base of her palm. A second later, Lyxus shot up from his hammock, eyes wide.

"Cold!" he cried, his hands at his ears. "Sweet mother of-! What was that?!"

The group, somewhat aware of how Weiss' Semblance worked, now understood what had just happened. She had just given him a frigidly cold breeze and passed it into his ear, thus forcing him to go wide awake in mere seconds. "Not bad, Ice Queen." Yang grinned while the girl scowled at her nickname, glaring at the blonde brawler before she turned her attention back to the now-awake Lyxus. "So, how was your nap, partner?"

Lxyus sighed, scratching his head. "Good, until someone decided to shove ice in my ear or something."

"Well, Ruby's been trying to get you up for the past five minutes, and you were STILL out like a light." Yang gestured to her sister, who held onto Crescent Rose.

"Yeah! We still gotta unpack and decorate the room! We can't do it without you! She pouted."

Lyxus blinked owlishly at this. They had been trying to wake him up for that long? "Oh..." his face fell somewhat. "Sorry."

"Eh, don't worry about it." his partner waved him off before turning to the room. "Alright, ladies and gentleman!" she grinned widely, throwing her fist up into the air. "Let's get to it!" Ruby cheered as she threw up her fist as well. Blake and Weiss did so as well, but with less enthusiasm. Lyxus held up his hand, uncertain if that was the correct thing to do. However, it now he realized that he had slept in his average clothes, as he had nothing but the clothes he wore on his back and his weapons with him. The only other articles was the Scroll and uniform Ozpin provided for him.

"Um, guys?" he called out. "Where's the bathroom?"

Yang giggled. "What? Gotta pee?" she teased before jabbing her thumb at the door to the left. "Right over there."

Lyxus nodded in thanks as he jumped off of his hammock. He then proceeded to slip off his jacket and undo his tie before unbuttoning his shirt. Suddenly, the girls became aware of what he was doing when he pulled his black dress shirt over his head, causing Ruby's face to explode into red and cover her eyes while Blake looked away desperately. Yang let out a whistle while Weiss' face turned into utter cherry-colored embarrassment. "WHAT IN REMNANT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" she screeched. "WE ARE RIGHT HERE, YOU KNOW!"

The teen remove his shirt, revealing his upper body to them. He was well-developed, having little baby fat anywhere on his body, but he also didn't have too much muscle, providing the form of an excellent athlete. While the girls, sans Yang, were utterly embarrassed, Lyxus cocked his head in confusion. "Okay... and?"

"AND IT'S INDECENT FOR A BOY TO DISROBE HIMSELF IN FRONT OF GIRLS!" Weiss snapped at him. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Her words only served to confuse him more. "But you guys were changing into your night clothes, and I was still in the room." At this, the girls froze, as they suddenly remembered that, being dead tired from Initiation, they had not given any thought to him being in the room as they changed. This fact only served to embarrass them further, and even Yang had a pink hue on her cheeks. "Besides, we're teammates. I don't think there's any problem with me changing in front of you all."

"Th-that's...Because...you...we..." Weiss sputtered. As much as she hated it, he did bring up valid points

"Hohoho~" Yang giggled mischievously. "So, in other words, you would strip down in the nude?"

"YANG!" Ruby cried, her face growing redder by the second. Lyxus also blushed heavily at that comment, now realizing why changing in front of them seemed like such a big deal. He grabbed his clothes, and quickly fled into the bathroom, locking it behind him. Yang, meanwhile, laughed at his reaction.

"Oh man...He is just so innocent~! It's adorable~" The blonde grinned.

Weiss groaned, face-palming. "I swear, Yang Xiao Long, you are such a... A...!"

She wanted nothing more than to speak her mind. But her upbringing stressed her otherwise. Blake decided to be the one to diffuse the argument before it began.

"Let's just go ahead and unpack. Lyxus is already up anyway."

Weiss nodded begrudgingly so, while Yang continued to grin as they began to unpack. The blonde brawler took out some rolled up posters from her luggage and taped them on the walls on her side of the room. They all depicted some sort of boy band. Weiss on the other hand pulled out a beautiful and expensive looking painting from one of her suitcases and hung it on her side of the room, checking to make sure it was straight. Blake took out some books from her suitcases and arranged them on the shelf provided in the dorm. She picked up one book in particular labeled 'Ninjas of Love', and immediately hid it from view. Ruby hung red curtains on the dorm room's window with Crescent Rose. As she was finished, she turned around, not noticing that the scythe was still unfolded and cut through the drapes.

After a few seconds later, they pulled back to admire their work. Or, at least they would... if it weren't for the fact that their beds were piled on top one another in the center of the room. "This place is cramped." Weiss remarked as she folded her arms.

Blake nodded in agreement. "We may have to discard some of our belongings."

"Or..." Ruby grinned with glee. "We can replace them with bunk beds!"

Bunk...Beds...?" Weiss was unsure. "That doesn't seem very safe."

"Alright, we'll put it to a team vote. All in favor say 'aye'!" Ruby announced.

Three out of four hands went up. At that moment, the bathroom door opened. The group turned to see Lyxus stepping out, now dressed in the Beacon Academy uniform. However, he instead wore the blazer open, and the tie was gone. However, they also noticed that he wore his white jacket over the blazer. "Hey," he greeted. "What's going on?"

"A vote!" Yang chirped. "Which do you think would work better? Us tossing out some stuff, or bunkbeds?"

"Bunkbeds," came the immediate reply. Weiss' head drooped slightly, knowing that her vote was now null and void. "Besides, it saves space, right?"

"Exactly!" Ruby chirped, happy their male team mate understood her.

With that said, the five-man team jumped into the room, dust and debris and random objects flying all over the place before they retreated. The beds were now placed into a bunk-like fashion, though the way it was designed made it seem like a well-elaborated death trap. One was tied together with several pieces of rope, connected to the drapes, while the other was stacked atop another with books acting as support.

"This looks..." Lyxus frowned in worry. "...dangerous." He was concerned that the top bunks will collapse and crush the people sleeping below them. It would be a shame for two people to die that way. Now that he thought about it... hadn't someone else said something like that before? He vaguely remembered they smelled like alcohol, but couldn't remember their face.

"Okay then!" Ruby cheered. "Now, the next order of business is...!" Suddenly, her exuberant behavior deflated as a book mysterious landed on her lap as she sat down on one of the beds. "Classes."

 _'Where did that book come from?'_ Lyxus thought in confusion.

"At 9 o'clock we have Grimm studies with Professor Port. Then at-"

"Wait, did you say nine?!" Weiss shouted in shock.

"Uh..."

"It's 8:55 you dunce!" The Heiress yelled as she rushed out the room.

Ruby's eyes widened in alarm, and then shot up, the book falling to the ground. "TO CLASS!" she shouted as she dashed out of the room, petals following after her. Lyxus, Yang, and Blake quickly charged after their leader, while Jaune and his team poked their heads out of their room. "Class?" Jaune wondered before the strain of having three people on top of him became too great, and spilled out into the hallway. They quickly scrambled to their feet, and chased after Team RWBAY. In a matter of seconds, they cleared the dorms and rushed to the campus. Ozpin and Glynda stood in the courtyard as they watched the group of nine run like their lives depended on it.

Ozpin smiled wryly as he took a sip of his mug. "Running late on the first day I see..." Glynda observed with a cross look. "Not exactly the best start on a school year."

"Perhaps," the man nodded in amusement. "But, you could say the same about STRQ when they first started out."

"True," Glynda frowned. "But as I seemed to recall, that was Qrow's fault for sleeping in and trying to flirt with nearly every girl he met." The man chuckled at this, remembering the chaotic mayhem Ruby and Yang's mothers' team caused when they attended this academy. It was as if he were staring back at an old memory, only with their children and the new generation in their place. "Also, as you've requested, we've done research on Mr. Animus' weapon."

"And?"

"The blade was made from Orichalcum."

Ozpin's eyes widened, his grip on his mug loosening for a brief moment. Orichalcum? The extremely rare yet extremely durable ore? "...you're certain of this?"

Glynda nodded, eyes sharp and attentive. "We've examined them thoroughly. There is hardly any doubt."

"I see..." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. Now he was curious. Where did Lyxus acquire that much Orichalcum to be able to forge twin blades?

"Also..." The combat professor pushed up her glasses. "We've done some research on Mr. Animus. We've managed to obtain information from the other academies in Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral, but there are no records of anyone under the name of Lyxus Animus ever receiving any training from their academies."

"And let me guess," Ozpin smiled wryly. "James is none too happy about an unknown attending Beacon."

The woman sighed. "That would an understatement." she groaned. "I can understand where he is coming from, but there is a fine difference between cautiousness and paranoia."

"I agree. The recent advancements to the Atlesean Military say as much." The Headmaster stated.

Ever since James Ironwood had come into power, he had focused solely on emphasizing building up the nation's defenses and firepower. While he had ensured not to cause any alarming worries such as dictatorship, he still had that nasty habit of taking caution too far, not that Ozpin didn't understand. In times such as these, regardless of peace or not, the world was still a terrifying place.

"And, one more thing." Glynda added, a faint hint of confusion and worry. "Just to make sure, I browsed Beacon's own database, and I found something peculiar." Ozpin turned to her, curious. "One of the student files is heavily corrupted, as if someone erased it. But that isn't what confuses me."

"What is it?"

"The file is from when Taiyang Xiao Long was still an active Huntsman."

"Really now?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow. Someone went through the trouble of erasing a past file of one of his former students? "Is there any possibility we can retrieve the file?"

"There is. But it will take time." Glynda answered.

Ozpin hummed, all the while pondering about the significance of the file. However, somewhere in the back of his mind, he already knew who it belonged to.

* * *

"Monsters... Predators... Deeeeeeeemons! Yes, there are many names the Creatures of Grimm go by, but I like to call them... Prey!"

A portly man dressed in a dark red suit grinned beneath his gray, bushy mustache. This man was Professor Port. He was assigned as their instructor about the Creatures of Grimm. At least, that was his job, but the portly man had instead decided to run his mouth off about his achievements. The others were bored out of their minds, with Ruby close to falling asleep, and Weiss, despite finding the lecture to be incredibly boring, listened intently, as her upbringing demanded. Lyxus, however, was probably the only student listening with the utmost intention, practically scribbling down every word that Port said. He knew that what the man spoke about barely had anything to do with Grimm Studies, but the stories themselves were just so compelling. Every tale Port told held some sort of theme or lesson in them. In addition to that, each one had a grand adventure. How could Lyxus not pay attention?

Of course, Blake seemed to notice this, and raised an eyebrow. "..you're actually taking notes?" she couldn't help but ask, astounded that someone was actually paying full attention. He gave her a nod while still taking notes. She then looked to Weiss. "I think everyone else could learn a thing or two from Lyxus."

Yang snorted. "Yeah, if we aren't already put to sleep by Port's rambling." She couldn't understand why anyone could stay awake at his lectures. They were sooo boring!

"Hush!" Weiss snapped, not wanting to get into trouble because her teammates.

"They would want nothing more than to tear you to pieces," Port continued. "And that's where we come in! Huntsman! Huntresses!" He clicked his tongue as he wiggled an eyebrow at Yang, causing him to flinch. When the man turned his back, she made gagging sounds, causing Ruby to stifle a giggle. "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot defend themselves! From what you ask? Why," he threw his hand in the air. "The very world!"

"The world..." Lyxus repeated as he scribbled it all down.

"That is what you are training to become!" Port said with a large grin. "But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man." A pause for dramatic effect. "Me!"

The class groaned while Lyxus continued to listen to the lecture. He readied his pencil on his notebook, ready to write it all down. Weiss rolled her eyes as Port began one of his stories. She honestly didn't understand it. Why in the world was this guy even talking about his past? This class was supposed to teach them how to deal with Grimm, not listen to a man's rambling! She glanced at Lyxus to see him writing down something in his notebook, looking up every now and then and mumbling things to himself. She raised an eyebrow at this. What on earth was he doing? She took a closer look at what he was writing. Her eyes widened upon seeing that he was jotting down the story that their professor is telling them word for word.

 _'HE'S PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS?!'_ The heiress mentally screamed. How could Lyxus even do this?! These stories have no merit whatsoever! She looked to her comrades for support, all of them being bored out of their minds... all except Ruby, as she was goofing off, scribbling something mindless in her notebook while giggling to herself. She felt a tick mark pulse angrily over her eyebrow. Ugh, this was so unfair! How in the world was this child her team leader?! It was hardly fair! She had the training, the best trainers Atlas had to offer, and she most certainly had better smarts! So why?! Why did someone as brilliant as Ozpin allow a child like HER to be the leader of RWBAY?!

It was just so unfair! She was just so immature! She shouldn't even be here yet!

"Now, then!" Port finished regalling is tale. "Which among you has what it takes to be a Huntsman!"

Before Weiss could raise her hand, Lyxus suddenly yelped, his hand shooting up. The girls turned, seeing him rubbing he back of his head. Behind him, a large teen with short brown hair and thick muscles snorted with laughter. "Cardin," Yang said in disgust.

"Ah, Mr. Animus!" Port grinned with glee. "Bold of you to volunteer!"

"Uh...Volunteer, sir?" He questioned.

"Why yes!" Professor Port nodded as he stood next to a thrashing cage. "Let us see what you are capable of, my boy!"

Cardin was laughing, but kept it down. Lyxus gave him a glare, but nodded, hopping over his desk. He went to change into his combat gear...or otherwise, the clothes he was found in yesterday. He also grabbed his two swords from his locker. In a matter of minutes, he returned and stood in the middle of the arena.

"Are you ready, Mr. Animus?" Port asked.

Lyxus gave a curt nod.

"Very well." Port hefted his axe and slammed it down on the lock that held the cage door in place. As he beast began to emerge, Lyxus removed the blades from their sheathes, and braced himself for battle. Emerging from the cage was a familiar beast, standing atop two legs with lanky arms, and ivory white armor plating around it's body and over it's face. "Kick it's butt, Lyx!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well!" Blake said with some enthusiasm, waving around a flag with RWBAY printed on it.

"Represent team RWBAY, Lyx!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss huffed. "Don't screw up!"

Lyxus turned to his team mates and gave them a determined grin and nod. He re-averted his attention back to the Grimm before him. It resembled the Beowolves he encountered back in the Emerald Forest. But it had a few differences. Its ivory mask encompassed its entire head, including the jaw. It had more bone spikes protruding from its shoulders. It also had rib-like armor what the other Beowolves had lacked. Not to mention the presence of authority this one seemed to emit. If Lyxus had to guess...he was dealing with an Alpha.

But he didn't feel any form of anxiety or fear. His eyes were narrowed. The grip on his swords remained firm. The Beowolf snarled and growled, hot saliva flowing between it's fangs while Lyxus flipped the blades into an underhand fashion.

"That...stance..." Port's eyes actually widened. He...he recognized that stance. It was an unorthodox fighting style, yet it was extremely effective if properly executed. Why...the last time he had seen such as thing had been...

His thoughts were cut short when the Alpha Beowolf roared, and leaped into the air.

Lyxus jumped back, avoiding the pounce. His eyes bore into the creature. As soon as the Alpha landed, it swung it's right paw outward to knock Lyxus off his feet. The heterochromic teen ducked underneath the paw. But the Grimm brought up its left arm and aimed to bring down its claws on the teen. Lyxus easily avoided it with a side-step, stretching out his leg to throw the beast to the ground. It tumbled a bit before getting to it's feet, howling at him. It charged at him again, this time trying to grab him and bite him to death. This time, Lyxus jumped, using it's head a springboard before taking to the air. He ascended high into the air. He somersaulted and landed on his feet on the ceiling. He crouched and fully extended his legs, shooting him off from the above surface. He twirled the blades in his hand and poised them to skewer the beast. The beast turned around just in time to find the blades plunged into it's shoulders, and the speed behind the attack forcing it into the ground. The blades pinned it to the floor while Lyxus jumped off of it, back-flipping away before stopping his advance. "Hohoho!" Port boomed, getting over his shock. "Impressive!" The Alpha struggled on the floor as it tried to free itself from the ground. However, Lyxus refused to let it. He rammed it's foot on it's throat, driving the heel straight into it's wind pipes, and grabbed hold of his blades. Instead of yanking them out, he twisted the blades so that that the edges faced one another. He brought his arms together in a cross-like motion, dragging the blades through Grimm flesh as he did so.

In a split second, the beast's head was lopped off.

As soon as the body fell still, black wisps began to emanate from the corpse. The neck that Lyxus had stomped on crumbled to nothing, the head following soon after. "Bravo!" Port congratulated, clapping. "Well done, Mr. Animus!"

The class also erupted into applause. Cardin scowled slightly, his plan having ended in failure, while the applause of RWBY was the loudest. "Whoo!" the leader cheered. "Way to go Lyx!" The dual swordsman sheathed his weapons and turned toward his team. All of them cheering for him. To be honest...it made him a little nervous, to be cheered for like this. A bashful blush tickled his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. The class was obviously impressed, as he defeated a Beowolf in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile, Cardin was seething. He had hoped the idiot was going to screw up, but instead, he took down an Alpha Beowolf in no time at all. _'Little prick must think he's hot shit.'_ the bully thought with a scowl. He didn't know why he was even here. He wasnt even there for the initiation! Yet Ozpin decided to let him in? That's bullshit.

Then again, he could also named another loser who didn't belong here. His eyes trailed off the the bumbling blonde kid known as Jaune Arc. He hadn't seen much of him during Initiation, but what he did see was a kid with no combat experience, no training, nothing whatsoever! And this kid actually made it into beacon while screwing up all over the place?! Something smelled fishy about that whole thing! And he was going to find out what it was.

Weak trash like him shouldn't even be here.

* * *

"I told ya my partner has some mad skill!" Yang chuckled as they left the classroom. The white and black-haired teen was now dressed back into his uniform, and his weapons back in his locker. "Seriously, how long did that fight take? ten seconds?"

"Hmph," Weiss huffed. "I could have taken it."

"I'm more impressed by the fact that he was actually taking notes." Blake said, staring at him with the utmost confounded expression. "How in the world can you take notes on his lectures? All he did was talk about his glory days."

But his stories sounded so interesting..." Lyxus defended. "They are tales of his experience in becoming a huntsman, and they have critical morals."

"Like what?" came the unanimous question.

"Like possessing courage, determination, caution, and a sound, rational mind. Those are elements that All Huntsmen required when dealing with missions, or creatures of Grimm." Weiss, seemingly one of the few logical girls in the group, opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss. No matter what response she might have had, they all died in her throat. She couldn't really deny what he said was true. All of those characteristics are required of being Huntsmen. However, that didn't mean she could fully appreciate the lectures. While they may have had some sort of value, they were all pointing at those with experience, rather than some small child who only knew how to swing a scythe! "Mrgrgrgr...!" The girl seethed as she stomped away, fuming. The group became surprised by this, but they could tell that Weiss was angry at something. Ruby couldn't help but flinch when the white-haired girl shot her a dirty glare as she retreated. Lyxus frowned heavily as he folded his arms. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, turning to Yang. "Is it... that time of the month for her?"

"Eh, who knows?" The blonde brawler shrugged. "But for future reference, never ask a girl that question, less you want to be beaten to a bloody pulp."

Lyxus cocked his head to the side. "Why's that?"

"It's just...it's a touchy subject for a woman, okay?"

The boy was still confused, but shrugged his shoulders. He then turned back to where Weiss had disappeared into. He wasn't entirely sure why, but somehow, he felt that she was angry at something. He had seen it clearly on her face during class before he was called into battle by Port. _'Just what is she so angry about?'_ he wondered before turning to his teammates. "I'm going to go after Weiss." he told them. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." The others waved him off as they returned to their dorm, leaving Lyxus on his own.

* * *

"...the boy was outstanding, Ozpin!" The Headmaster smiled in slight amusement as Port began to ramble about Lyxus via Scroll. "Not even half a minute, and he took down an Alpha as if it were nothing! And he was practically writing down my lectures, word for word, all class!"

Glynda rolled her eyes. "I think you mean ramblings." she muttered so that he wouldn't hear.

"Well, given his apparent knack of combat, it's to be expected." Ozpin said with mirth. "Though, I suppose having swords made of Orichalcum makes things easier as well. It's a wonder how he managed to obtain such materials, much less his origins. His lack of memories is disturbing, but he is certainly a welcome addition to Beacon."

"I concur," the instructor agreed strongly with a nod. "Especially his fighting style." A pause. "...I swear, I have seen such a fighting style before."

"indeed." Ozpin nodded in agreement. "That fighting style of Mr. Animus...it greatly resembles one other person we have seen in the past..."

"But who?" Port asked. "By the life of me, I know I've seen it before."

Ozpin took a sip of his mug before answering. "Perhaps the answers lie in the file Glynda discovered while looking for information about Mr. Animus. Apparently, someone went to the trouble of corrupting a file of a student years ago."

Corrupting a file? By who on Remnant would do such a thing?"

"Who can say?" Ozpin shrugged. "It's in the process of being repaired, but it's going to take some time." Inwardly, however, he was anxious to see the file fully repaired and readable. If his hunch was correct...

"Oh, and speaking of young Animus..." Port recalled. "It would seem like Team RWBAY is not an exception when it comes to a stuck-up member who thinks she should be leader."

"Ms. Schnee, I take it?"

"indeed." Port nodded. "I've noticed her glaring daggers at her team leader during class."

Ozpin sighed softly. He had anticipated something like this. He had been more than aware of Weiss Schnee's upbringing. She was the heiress of the largest energy corporation in Remnant, after all, due to the circumstances revolving around her older sister, Winter. She had been given the best trainers Atlas had to offer, had the most experience in terms of combat, but there was the difference between her and Ruby. She only had experience with trainers, whereas Ruby had actual live combat experience. She was even trained by Qrow, one of the best Huntsman Vale had to offer.

Therein lied the problem at hand; Weiss believed that she should be leader, as she had been given everything she had wanted. That arrogance was why he chose not to make her leader. Ruby may be young, but because of his philosophy, that victory can found in a simple, more honest soul, he had seen the potential in her. He found the spitting image of Summer in front of him, with the potential to become something greater than a mere Huntress. That, and because of her young nature, she could learn things that most people older than her would not notice. She would have the opportunity to grow, both in strength and intellect. She would have companions that would support her, like her team mates and friends.

Now it was only a matter of her teammates coming to support her.

* * *

"...Weiss?" The white haired heiress was leaning against the rails on the School Building balcony. She turned her head to see Lyxus standing by the door frame. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked.

The girl frowned for a while, but shrugged, giving him a nod. The teen closed the door behind him, and stood next to her. "So, what is it?" she asked, her tone slightly hostile. "Come to brag about your victory?"

"...what's up with you?" Lyxus asked with concern. "Ever since class, you look like you're ready to slap Ruby."

"Oh...that..." Weiss murmured. She gave him points for being observant at least.

"Does this have anything to do with Ruby being the team leader?"

Weiss flinched at his words...knowing they were absolutely true. "...maybe..." Lyxus cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to elaborate. The heiress sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, turning to face her teammate. "Who do you think would make the better team leader?" she asked bluntly. "Me, or Ruby?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at this. "I... don't know the answer to that one." he told her. "Seriously, Weiss, what is wrong? I mean, sure, Ruby's kind of young to be the team leader, but-"

"That isn't the point!" Weiss snapped, startling him. "She is two years younger than the first years! She should still be at Signal Academy, instead of being here at Beacon! She has absolutely NO experience as a team leader whatsoever, much less any experience at all!" She huffed as she folded her arms. "I've had the best training anyone could possibly hope to get! I've trained ever since I was old enough to hold a weapon in my hands. Ruby started only a few years ago!"

The boy's frown grew. "...Weiss, no offense, but... that sounds like you've been given everything you've wanted."

What?" the heiress questioned. What did he mean by that?

"I mean that you're acting like you weren't given what you wanted. That you are throwing a tantrum, calling it unfair."

Weiss scowled. "Hey, that's not even... remotely..." she trailed off. "True..."

"My thoughts exactly." Weiss' face fell as she pouted, turning her gaze to the floor. "Look, I may not know anything about you're family," Lyxus said to her. "But status or upbringing doesn't matter here. You can flaunt you're titles to everyone, and all it does is make people see you as the heiress of some company. They won't see you as Weiss Schnee." The girl blinked, turning to face him in surprise. "The Grimm don't care if you're an heiress. You're just another lump of meat for them to carve up." Strangely, Lyxus felt as if he were repeating the words of someone else, someone who had spoken these words to another once before. "Having experience doesn't automatically make you priveleged to everything. Power, respect, and recognition is not deserved, it's earned."

Weiss frowned heavily at that. "And how did Ruby earn her position?" she asked, almost bitterly. "She's just a kid!"

"And that's why she was chosen as a leader." he said. The white-haired girl quirked an eyebrow. "You think strength lies in victory... but maybe it's because you've forgotten that such things can be found in simpler things. Maybe the reason Ozpin chose Ruby is because she's a simpler, more honest soul." Again, he felt like he was repeating words from someone he heard before. But where?

Weiss paused to allow the words to sink. Ruby was given the position because she was more honest? What did that even mean? Was it...because of her attitude?

"Weiss," Lyxus continued. "Instead of wanting to be a team leader, why not be someone Ruby can depend on?" The girl raised an eyebrow at this. "Like you said, Ruby is younger than most people here at Beacon. She's not used to being in this position. Sure, she has Yang and Blake to be there for her, but what if they can't be at her side when she needs them most?" He put his hand on her shoulder. "You're her partner, and therefore, if the others can't be there, you have to be the one to be at her side."

A smile spread across his face. "Trust your partner, and expand you're world... That's the best advice you can give to anyone."

Weiss was speechless. She stared at Lyxus, letting his words truly sink in. "...be honest," she said bluntly. "Were some kind of philosopher in your previous life?"

The black and white-haired boy chuckled bashfully, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "Dunno." he replied. "Maybe."

Weiss shook her head, but smiled nonetheless. "...maybe I have been a bit hard on her." she muttered to herself. Noticing Lyxus' curious gaze, her face turned red. "I-it's nothing." she said quickly before she noticed something. She hadn't noticed it before when he had stripped himself of his shirt, having been utterly embarrassed by the fact that he was exposed, revealing his well-toned upper torso, but but now she saw it clearly.

There was a scar on the left side of his collarbone, reaching up close to his neck.

The heiress' eyes widened. Just what had happened to him? A wound like that would've been fatal. And what's more, it didn't seem to be a result of a Grimm attack. The scar looked too precise and clean. It was also thinner than a Beowolf's claws. Could ti have been...from another weapon? Like a sword? "Lyxus," she said in concern. "Where did you get that scar?"

"Hm?" the heterochromatic teen raised a brow. He then realized what Weiss was referring to. He gently rested two fingers on his neck, where the scar was. "This one?...To be honest, I have no idea where I got it. I must be another missing memory."

Missing..." Her eyes widened. "Wait, Lyxus, are you telling me that you have amnesia?!"

The boy winced, taking a step back from the shout, having taken him by surprise. "Uh, y-yeah..."

"Y-you dunce! Why didn't you tell us this before?!"

"Uh, well...because...it...never really came up before..." he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Weiss felt a vein from her forehead twitch. Was he seriously this idiotic?! _'Ruby, I take back everything I've ever said about you.'_ she thought in disgruntlement. _'Lyxus Animus is a bigger dunce than you are!'_

* * *

"...well," Ozpin smiled thinly. "It appears Mr. Animus beat Mr. Port to it."

The man was currently standing in the hallway, with Ruby standing beside him. The portly professor was standing outside the balcony door, apparently going to give Weiss some advice, but the male member of RWBY had beaten him to it. The Headmaster had pulled the young girl away from her teammates, seeing the depressed look on her face as they made their way to return to the dormitory. He had given the girl advice upon seeing her depressed state, clearly being given doubts about her position. She had tried to seek out Weiss, only to find the boy giving Weiss advice of his own. His words had touched her deeply, seeing how much he cared for his newly-made friends. It made her see just how kind of a person he was.

However, she was also currently left in shock, having also overheard the last portion of their conversation as well. Lyxus... had amnesia?! He...he didn't remember who he was? Only his name? "Lyx doesn't remember anything?"

"No, he does not." Ozpin confirmed, pausing as he took a drink of his coffee. "We have started looking for information about him, however, to provide some clues to his past."

"Have...have you found anything so far?" Ruby asked hopefully.

To her sadness, Ozpin shook his head. "We have checked various records, but nothing mentioned even the name Lyxus Animus. The boy has no records at all."

Ruby's face fell. "S-so, what does that mean?"

"To put it bluntly, Ruby?" Ozpin said tiredly. "It means that as far information goes, Lyxus doesn't exist." _'Th-that can't be true...Lyxus exists! He's right there! How could there be no records of him?!'_ she thought in disarray. "The only thing we have to go on is his weapon." the Headmaster continued. "His blades are made out of Orichalcum, which as you know, is an extremely durable material that is nearly impossible to obtain." A pause for another drink. "That is the only clue behind the mystery of that young man."

At this, Ruby's jaw dropped. Her silver eyes were filled with stars. Orichalcum?! The ridiculously rare and durable ore said to be even stronger than diamond?! The very material she can only dream about?! Lyxus' blades were made of THAT?! Oh, it was official now, she was happy to have someone like Lyxus on the team! Ozpin, seeing her newfound admiration to the boy, smiled. "We do have a lead on Lyxus' past, however. It's going to take some time to verify it, but we are doing the best we can." He pat the girl on the head, snapping her out of her stupor. "For now, Ruby, simply be the best team leader you can be. After all, the boy needs support, does he not?"

Ruby smiled as she nodded. The red hooded girl found new resolve.

She was going to help her team mate.

* * *

"So... Did you two kiss?"

Lyxus groaned while Weiss fumed. Not two seconds after they returned to their dorms with Ruby in tow, as she had had been worried about her as well, and Yang was already teasing with them. A lecherous grin was clear on her face as she looked up from the magazine she was reading.

"Why must you be so lewd, Xiao Long?" the heiress said in slight distaste. "Didn't your parents teaching you proper manners?!"

"Nope." the brawler answered. "Just how to bash people's faces in." It was true. Her father taught her how to fight...which included bashing people's faces in. But she wouldn't tell them that Summer had tried to make her a good girl.

"Welcome back," Blake greeted them briefly before going back to her book.

"Gee, thanks for the warm welcome." Weiss mumbled before she put her hands on her hips. "However, we need to address a serious problem." Yang raised an eyebrow as she peeked over her magazine. Blake, curious, looked up from her book. Ruby looked at Weiss, and immediately knew what she wanted to talk about. Lyxus, for his part, seemed a bit uncomfortable, as he kicked at the ground, while rubbing the back of his neck. "It's about Lyxus."

"Oho?" Yang smirked. "So something did happen~!"

"Yes." Weiss remarked bluntly. Yang was about to open her mouth, likely to make a lewd remark, but Weiss dropped any such subject immediately. "I just learned that apparently the sole boy on our team is an amnesiac, and never bothered to tell us!"

"Wait, what?!" Both Blake and Yang dropped their pieces of reading material in shock.

Lyxus smiled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "H-hahahaha... S-sorry?"

"SORRY?!" Yang got up from her bed, marched up to Lyxus, and grabbed him by the collar. "HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL US THIS?! THIS IS SERIOUS!"

"Yang!" Ruby scolded. "Put him down!"

The brawler complied, but she clearly looked angry. Blake looked the same, evident by the frown marring her beautiful features. "Why didn't you tell us about this, Lyxus?" she asked. "This is serious."

"S-sorry." the boy apologized. "I just... didn't want to be a burden on you guys. Besides, I really don't think it's much of a big deal."

"Not a-?! Lyxus, you don't remember anything!" Weiss growled in disbelief. "I'm pretty sure this counts as a big deal!"

Yeah! All you have is your name! Nothing else to go on!"

Lyxus frowned as he cocked his head to the side, folding his arms. "W-well, when you put it that way..."

"It's settled then!" Ruby crossed her arms. "As leader of Team RWBAY, I hereby declare that we are going to search for your past!"

Lyxus' eyes widened, turning to Ruby in shock. "Seconded!" Yang resounded, pumping her fist into the air.

"Third." Blake raised her hand.

"Then we are all in agreement." Weiss nodded in satisfaction.

"G-guys..." Lyxus was touched. They didn't even know him that well and they were willing to help him look for his past. The boy felt tears running down his face as he tried to wipe them away, to no avail. A shaky smile spread across his face. "T-thank you..."

The girls of team RWBAY smiled. He was their team mate. It was the least they could do.

* * *

On the second day of Beacon Academy, they were introduced to a rather eccentric teacher for period. Lyxus was left blinking at the sight, utterly amazed while Ruby felt slightly envious.

"Good morning class! My name is Bartholomew Oobleck, and I shall be you're history instructor for these next few years of your time here at Beacon Academy!" the green-haired man said as he paused, taking a sip of his thermos, and then suddenly appeared on the far side of the room, speaking at a fast pace. "To start off, you will not address me as Professor Oobleck, it is DOCTOR Oobleck, understand?" The class nodded. "Good!" He then dashed around back to the other side, his pointer now tapping against the map behind him. "In this class, we will cover various events that had transpired in our history, ranging all the way back to the war thirty years ago, all the way to the events that had taken place in our modern day society! To start off, we will cover the founding of the four kingdoms!" A pause. Another drink of his thermos. And back across the other side of the room in less than a second. "Now then, can anyone tell me the names of these kindgoms?!"

Weiss raised her hand. "They are Atlas, Vacuo, Mistral, and Vale." she answered confidently. "However, in the past, Atlas was also known as Mantle."

"That is correct, Ms. Schnee!" The teacher nodded in approval before taking another sip of coffee.

Lyxus blinked again, rubbing his eyes before turning to Jaune. "...what in the world does he put into his coffee?"

"Heck if I know," Jaune shrugged, having a hard time keeping up with the teacher. "I can barely keep up with him. He might be moving faster than Ruby!"

"The Kingdoms were founded precisely a little over 80 years ago, back during the events of the Great War." Oobleck stated as he dashed behind his desk. "It was a terrible, terrible time! To this day, it is recorded as one of the most bloodiest conflicts this world of ours has ever seen." He took a sip of his thermos before turning to the class. "Next question! Who can tell me why the war was held in the first place?!"

At first, no one raised their hands. Even Weiss seemed hesitant to. It was clear that nobody in the room held any knowledge whatsoever about the war. Even Jaune, who was raised on the stories of his family's actions, was unable to find the answer. Lyxus, however, raised his hand. "It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself."

"That is absolutely correct, Mr. Animus!" The doctor nodded again as he zipped back to his desk. "Yes, the Great War originated from the corrupt desire or each one of the kingdoms attempting to rule over the others."

As the lecture continued on, Lyxus could feel a burning glare burning into the back of his neck. Frowning, he looked over his shoulder. At the very top of the class, with his legs propped over his desk, was a burly student with stylized brown hair. He recognized him as Cardin Winchester, the appointed leader of Team CRDL. "Is it just me," he whispered to Jaune. "Or does Cardin seems like he hates me?"

"You're not the only one..." Jaune shook his head. "I can feel him glaring daggers at me head too."

"...Ultimately, those in favor of the preservation of individualism prevailed, and the four warring Kingdoms met on the small island of Vytal to discuss an end to the war." Oobleck continued. "Today, Remnant enjoys peace and "unity through diversity". This diversity is celebrated in cultural events such as the Vytal Festival, named after the place where the peace was brokered." His eyes turned darker as he took a sip of his thermos. "However, in spite of this peace, there was one lasting effect the War had. Each kingdom's actions sought to either destroy, or outright suppress the cultural arts, but the populace had found a way to preserve this! The populace had named their children, and subsequently the next generation, after the most fundamental piece of art; colors!"

He zipped all the way beside Ruby's desk, catching the girl off guard. "Take Ms. Rose for example! "Ruby" is the name of a red gem, and a common piece among jewelry, and "Rose" is a flower that is most often found with the color shade of red!"

Ruby felt her face flush. Being used as an example like this was kind of embarrassing.

Oobleck spare her any further embarrassment as he dashed back to his desk. This time, he grabbed a large stack of papers. "In regards to our first activity, you will read these packets thoroughly. Each has information about one of the four kingdoms." In a few seconds, he was passing out the packets, almost like a green and white blur, before reappearing to the very front of the class. "Once you have finished you're reading, you will answer the questions provided. Once you have done that, gather into four groups, one for each kingdom. Then we will start the activity!"

He was stopped by Lyxus, as he raised his hand, looking at the picture showing the landmasses. "Excuse me, Doctor Oobleck?" he asked. "What's the fifth continent?"

"Hm?" the history professor turned to look at what his student was referring to. His eyes caught what Lyxus was pointing at. The Landmass in the shape of a western dragon with its wings spread out for flight.

"Ah, that is an unexplored region of Remnant." Oobleck explained. "There isn't much information about it, thus we truly have no idea what exactly it is like." He pushed up his glasses. "We've tried many a times to explore it, but due to unknown circumstances, each expedition ended with failure."

"Really?" Lyxus questioned. Each expedition failed? "Has there been any data to explain why?"

"Unfortunately, each expedition has been declared classified." Oobleck said, much to his disappointment. "Therefore, we don't exactly know why they failed." He took a drink of his thermos, and continued. "Well, back on topic, you may begin you're reading!" The class groaned silently, and did as they were told. Lyxus, however, was still confused by the expedition in the fifth continent's failures. Just how was the expedition a failure? How could it have failed? The more he pondered it, the more curious he became.

For now, he supposed, he would just have to focus on other things.

* * *

Ruby was practically giddy when they reached their next class; this being probably what most students were looking forward to. This class was Combat Training, taught by none other than Glynda Goodwitch. "Good day, class." she greeted as they all took their seats. "Welcome to you're first Combat Training Class." Their professor stood in the middle of the arena at the center of the room. All of the students changed out of their uniforms and into their combat gear in the bleachers. "Many of you already know the purpose behind these classes during your time at other Academies, such as Signal. You've been taught to wield weapons of your own design, and hone your skills against your peers." Glynda said, pushing up her glasses. "This class will be no different. However, unlike your previous schools, you have been placed among three others. In battle, strength, tactics, and stamina are not the only things one must need. The most fundamental thing about combat is the quality of teamwork. You must learn how to fight, how to act, and to move as a singular group. Therefore, while in some matches, you will face off, one-on-one, there will be matches where you and your partner will go against another group of two, and at times, team versus team."

The students nodded. From what they remember, sans Lyxus, these types of fights are used in the Vytal Festival Tournament.

"Now, to begin..." Glynda turned her head, looking at the large screen, which could be seen the moment one entered the room. "We will have two members of each team spar against one another. The teams will be determined at random. There is also the possibility that, in this sort of spar, you may face off against your own team members. This is in order to furthen yourselves, but..." Her eyes adopted a warning glare as she pushed up her glasses. "Please, keep in mind, this is a simulated battle. The battle will end when either I have determined one of you is no longer capable of fighting, if one side forfeits, or if you're Aura has reached the red zone."

"Ooh, sweet~!" Yang grinned. "I wonder who we're gonna fight!"

Weiss, in contrast to Yang, looked concerned as she raised an eyebrow, and raised a hand. "Excuse me, Professor Goodwitch?"

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?"

"In our case, as our time composes of five members, with Yang paired up with Lyxus and Blake, will one of the three have to sit out in order to even the odds? If so, does the same rule apply when two teams enter combat?"

"Excellent question. Fortunately, I have already taken that into consideration. Miss Xiao Long, Miss Belladonna, and Mr. Animus will fight in pairs in fixed rotations. For example. In one fight, it will be Miss Xiao Long and Mr. Animus. The next fight will have Miss Belladonna and Mr. Animus paired up, and so forth."

Weiss noded, and lowered her hand. The screen flickered to life, and lit up, showing the portraits of all the students. Above the massive collection of faces were eight empty portraits, likely for the team vs team event. Then, four portraits lit up, and began a random selection.

"Pick me pick me pick me!" Nora cried, literally jumping up and down while Ren sighed, exasperated by Nora's eccentric behavior while he waited for the opponents to be chosen.

The portraits on the left side stopped, revealing the faces of Lyxus and Yang. "Alright!" the brawler whooped, shooting up from her seat and bounding her fists together. "Me and Lyx are up first! We're gonna own this thing!" The amnesiac-teen chuckled, left at a loss by his partner's apparent like for battle, and stood up, making his way to the arena.

Then the portraits on the right stopped. Suddenly, Ren felt even more tired, and for good reason. He and Nora were selected.

"Very well then. The first match will be Yang Xiao Long and Lyxus Animus of Team RWBAY versus Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie of Team JNPR." Glynda announced. The images of the combatants shifted on the screen, allowing a green bar to appear below each portrait.

"WOOHOO!" Nora practically jumped straight into the arena, landing on her feet, and whipped out her grenade launcher. "C'MON REN! I wanna be the top dog!"

Her partner sighed. "Nora," he said calmly. "Calm down, or I won't make you any pancakes after this."

"HOH?!" Nora gasped in horror. No pancakes?! That might as well have been an execution sentence for her!

Everyone chuckled at how easily she seemed to be terrified of such a prospect, while others were amused. Eventually, the four combatants were all centered at the stage. Lyxus unsheathed his blades, flipping them into an underhand fashion while while Yang unfurled her Ember Celica for all to see, slipping into her own stance. Ren whipped out Storm Flower, and fell into a spread his legs apart, with one arm bent at an angle with the other straight as an arrow. Nora simply turned her grenade launcher into a hammer, and practically spun it around.

"Are you ready?" Glynda asked. The four nodded. The woman brought up her hand.

Then, swung it down. "BEGIN!"

The four charged at one another, their positions decided who would be fighting whom. Lyxus was across from Ren while Yang was across from Nora.

Then, they clashed.

 **-Chapter...END-**

 _ **Next Time: CFVY Overdose  
**_

* * *

 **Okay, sorry if there wasn't much action in this chapter. It was more or less exposition to flush out Lyxus' character more. I'm also trying to make up a timeline that is in between the events of "The Badge and the Burden" and "Jaune Dice," as I found the storyline for Volume 1 to be a bit short and choppy, compared to Vol. 2 and 3. As the next chapter title implies, we're getting to meet the fashionista's band of misfits. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and liked and followed this story, and I hope you enjoy it more.**

 **Also, I have posted another poll on my profile page. The last two were to determine whether or not Lyxus would be a boy or girl, and which team he would join. This version of the story has a male Lyxus joining RWBY, therefore the other version will have a female version of Lyx joining JNPR. This poll is to determine the pairings. The choices are as follows:**

 **a) Ruby Rose  
b) Weiss Schnee  
c) Blake Belladonna  
d) Yang Xiao Long  
e) Cinder Fall  
f) Harem: Ruby and Weiss  
g) Harem: Blake and Yang  
h) Harem: Team RWBY  
i) Harem: The girls of Team RWBY, plus Cinder  
**

 **Currently, Ruby has 1 vote, Cinder with 2, Weiss with 6, and in the lead is the Team RWBY + Cinder harem with 14 votes! Also, depending on which girl (yes, girl, harem options are excluded) is chosen, you might find the story taking quite an interesting turn... But that is all I have to say on the matter. You all have a wonderful day or night, wherever you live, please be safe!**

 **Demons Anarchy of Pride, out!**


	4. Chapter 2

**RWBY: Colorless Memories**

* * *

 _Opening Theme: Hey Kids! by Amanda Lee  
_

 _ **"TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE HERO!"  
**_

 _ **[Instrumental]**_

 _ **Tonight, they'll don their masks – the kids that tear it down**_

 _ **And all these scheming lies will soon evoke the end**_

 _ **Turn up the temperature, entice that golden taste  
**_

 _ **Give it some FLAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR** _

_**"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Return to the yesterday we cast away,**_

 _ **The scene will overflow**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **We'll overrun the point of no return, I know**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego**_

 _ **"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"**_

 _ **Call out to me, come on, again and again**_

 ** _"YOU KNOW? I'M REALLY TIRED OF YOUR PISS-POOR ATTITUDE_**

 ** _MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY  
_**

 _ **SHOW ME SOME RESPECT, JEEZ!**_

 ** _DO YOU - DO YOU HAVE ANY?!_**

 ** _IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF  
_**

 ** _I SWEAR YOU DO IT TO PISS ME OFF!  
_**

 ** _TSK, WHAT A SHAME_**

 ** _YOU DO DON'T YOU?!"  
_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Return to the yesterday we cast away,_**

 ** _The scene will overflow_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _We'll overrun the point of no return, I know_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego_**

 ** _"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"_**

 ** _Call out to me, come on, again and again_**

 ** _Whoa-ooo-oooh_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your haaaaaaand!_**

 ** _NOW SWEAR TO RESPECT THE HERO!_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

* * *

Volume I: Remnant's of the Past Forgotten

 _Chapter 2: CFVY Overdose  
_

"...okay," Lyxus moaned as he rubbed his shoulders. "Note to self, never get on Nora's badside. EVER."

"Yeah...I knew she could pack a punch...but that match was insane..." Yang agreed as she stretched her arms above her head.

It had been a little over an hour since the match had ended, and classes had finally reached an end. Lyxus and Yang had won, with their Aura's in the yellow zone before forcing the gunner and tank of JNPR to reach the red zone, which was a clear sign of them losing. That said, the two learned quickly that the fight was certainly a tough one. Ren demonstrated both agility and proficiency with his body's movements, seemingly a talented martial artist, while Nora just let loose like a tank out on a mission. Lyxus had the unfortunate pleasure of having her hammer being rammed into his face, and suffice to say... he didn't like it.

Still, it was a great learning experience, though he is still left utterly dumbfounded by Nora's eccentric behavior. He knew she appeared to be slightly unhinged back at Initiation, but her hyper and cheery mood was just something else entirely. It was like she was a constant caffeine rush.

He shuddered to think what would happen if she were to consume ACTUAL caffeine.

"That was an awesome fight!" Ruby cheered as they exited the arena. "You guys were so cool out there! You were all like, WAAATAAH!"

Yang shook her head, amused by her sister's antics, but grinned nonetheless. "Got that right," she said proudly. "Me and my partner kick butt~" She turned to Blake as she said this, offering a wink. "Let's do our best when it's our turn to pair up, Blake." The girl nodded silently, also looking forward to a battle with her teammate.

"I have to admit, I never would have guessed the two to work so well together." Weiss said, recalling how well Ren and Nora were in sync with each other during the match. "They're total opposites, but they act as if they've rehearsed it all before."

"Well, Jaune did say that Nora and Ren are apparently childhood friends, so that could explain it." the team leader of RWBY suggested. She then frowned, remembering the match that came afterward. "Although, Cardin was a total cheater. I mean, he threw dust at that poor girl's eyes! That is totally against the rules!" At this, the others scowled upon remembering the bully's underhanded tactics. The poor girl had to go to the infirmary to get her eyeballs flushed.

"There's no such thing as a fair fight, Ruby." Lyxus said. "Sometimes, you have to play dirty if you want to win." Shortly after saying that, however, he frowned. "But I do agree with you. He went too far. Her Aura was already in the red, but he still tried to beat her down.' His hands balled into tight fists. "Scum like him...have no right to even breathe...let alone live..."

"Whoa, calm down there, Lyx." the brawler said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Don't get all emo on us now!"

"He does have a point, however." the heiress interjected in disapproval. "His opponent was clearly beaten, but he continued to fight." A frown crossed her features. "Why exactly is someone like him even at Beacon anyway? I understand that the Winchester family is influential in some aspects, but even Ozpin wouldn't allow a brute like him to attend."

"Who knows?" Blake shrugged. "At least he got what was coming to him in the next match." The group relished that particular memory, recalling how the bully was utterly thrashed by his opponent. "What was her name again? Coco Adel?"

J"Yeah, she's the leader of Team CFVY." Lyxus nodded.

"And that weapon of hers is SOOOO COOOOOOL!" Ruby squealed with sparkles in her eyes. Her team rolled their eyes. Ruby's weapons freak side had exposed itself when she watched the fight between the woman and Cardin take place. The woman's weapon of choice was a black handbag that turned into a gigantic Gatling Gun, which she proceeded to use and demolish Cardin in a matter of seconds. The poor bastard didn't even know what had happened until after Coco pulled the trigger.

The fight didn't last longer than ten seconds.

Cardin didn't even have a chance to retaliate as he was pelted with countless bullets repeatedly, quickly sending his aura meter into the red and out of the ring. Needless to say, everyone who hated Cardin were practically cheering for the girl's victory. However, Lyxus, for his part, was confused, as he did not recall her being apart of Initiation, nor those who had successfully passed, and were placed on a Team. The fact that she was a team leader was proof that she was a student, but she held quite a bit of experience, if her stance was anything to go by. As he continued to ponder this, the group turned around the corner, only for the amnesiac to bump into someone, throwing him, and the person who ran into him, to the ground.

"Oof!"

"Aaah!"

A girl with long brown hair and dark eyes fell on her rear from the collision. Lyxus stumbled as well, but managed to say upright. He looked in concern, and took attention to one particular trait of the girl he bumped into; a pair of brown rabbit ears. "I'm sorry," he apologized, bending down to lend her a hand. "You okay?"

"Y-yes..." the girl nodded, slightly dizzy from the impact. "I'm very sorry about that. I should have watched where I was going!"

"No, I should be the one saying sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either." Lyxus shook his head. The girl wanted to protest to this, but she paused, as his appearance seemed to be familiar to her. It took her a few seconds to recognize him, and her eyes widened with curiosity. "Um, w-would you be Lyxus, from Team RWBAY?"

Yang grinned at this as she folded her arms. "Oho~ So, Lyx is already a celebrity. huh?" she giggled. "And let me guess, you're a fangirl?"

"She's referring to his placement, Yang." Blake sighed. "It's rare for there to be a five-man team, as opposed to the usual four-man placement. It's only natural people know about him, and by extension, us."

"Again, celebrity status~"

"Yes. I am." Lyxus nodded, ignoring the celebrity discussion.

"Ah, I-I see." the girl nodded timidly, bowing her head politely. "I'm Velvet Scarlatina, from Team CFVY."

"CFVY?" Weiss inquired, curious. "So, you're on the same team as Coco Adel?"

"Y-Yes, I am." she nodded in confirmation.

"It's nice to meet you, Velvet." Lyxus smiled as he held out a hand.

The girl blinked at this, obviously not expecting it, but shook hands with him. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"So...out of curiosity. Where we're you heading Velvet? You seemed to have been in a rush." Yang inquired.

Before she could answer that, a booming voice spoke behind them. "There you are, Vel." they said. "We've been looking for you." Team RWBAY looked behind them...and promptly gaped.

 _'Holy crap he's enormous!'_ He was a tall teenager, easily standing over a head taller than any of them. He had shot black hair that was trimmed close to the scalp. The school uniform her wore was stretched across his muscular frame.

"Oh, Yatsuhashi!" Velvet exclaimed, happy to finally find her team mate and partner.

Weiss couldn't help but squawk, "Wait, HE's your teammate?!" she shouted in shock. "I though he was a teacher if not for the uniform!"

The large man chuckled. "I tend to get that a lot." he said before bowing his head. "I am Yatsuhashi Daichi, of Team CFVY. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lyxus bowed his head in return. "Nice to meet you as well, Yatsuhashi." The others of Team RWBAY couldn't help but gape. Lyxus wasn't even fazed by this at all!

"You as well." Yatsuhashi returned the gesture before he turned to Velvet. "Coco has been looking for you," he informed the rabbit-eared Faunus. "Looks like we're going out."

"Oh, so we're going to Vale today?" She asked.

"That is correct."

The girl's face seemed to brighten, and bowed to the five-man team. "W-well, it was nice meeting you!" she said before following her giant of a teammate. "See you later!"

With that, they were gone, walking down the hallway. "Was it just me," Ruby asked, breaking the silence. "Or did he look older than us?"

"Maybe CFVY is a second-year team?" Blake offered. "It would explain why we never say Coco Adel at Initiation."

"Really? I suppose that would make sense." Lyxus agreed. He was wondering why he never saw any of them. Now it all made sense.

"Well, let's head to our next class." Weiss said. "I believe we have Professor Peach next." This earned a groan from Yang and Ruby, as after Combat Class, they wanted the day to be done and over with, as to them, the only class worth looking forward to was Glynda's. "Oh, don't give me that." she snapped. "Come on, let's go." The rest of the Team followed Weiss. Blake and Lyxus remained quiet, in contrast to Yang and Ruby's complains. The boy wondered what type of class Professor Peach specialized in.

* * *

"There you are, Vel. What took you so long?"

"S-sorry, Coco!" The bunny eared girl bowed in apology.

"It's alright. We were looking everywhere for you. We thought you got lost...again." The leader of Team CFVY said. She was a young woman with short brown hair and brown eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. A beret sat atop her head, and a strand of her hair fell down the right side of her face, changing from brown to orange in color. Her school uniform hugged her slim, voluptuous figure quite nicely. If one were to guess, they would assume they were looking at a fashion model.

"Hey!" Velvet pouted. "That's mean! That was just one time!"

"Yes. And you were lost for over two hours."

The girl's pout furthened, causing Yatsuhashi to chuckle, as well as their fourth member, a young man with dark skin and fiery red hair. "Well, since we're all here..." the giant said after getting over his laughter. "What's the mission?"

"Why, it's simple, Yatsuhashi." Coco grinned as she pulled down her shades. "All the clothing stores in Vale have a big sale today...and I intend on sweeping up those sweet deals."

She was met with stunned silence from her team. Velvet's face was akin to a fish out of water, Yatsuhashi raised an eyebrow, and Fox face-palmed. "...Coco," Fox Alistair deadpanned. "If you do that, our closets are going to be stuffed full of clothes."

"Yes. And? Isn't that was closets were made for?" Coco raised a brow.

"Yes. But we need space for our clothes to you know."

"That, and need we remind you that our closet is mostly full of yours." Yatsuhashi added. Seriously. They knew the fashionista loved clothes...but there was a limit one can buy with as limited of space as they had!

"S-so..." Velvet gawked. "Y-you're telling me... I missed out on extra credit... because you want to buy clothes?!"

"That, and some Grimm ass-kicking." Coco grinned. This caused the three to blink. "Hey, I said we have a mission, and I meant it, so long as he finish it quick." Even though Coco was an avid shopper, she still put her duties as team leader and a Huntress in training as precedent above personal pleasures. They may be going to Vale to shop, but that would be only after they clean up the Grimm infestation in the northern quadrant.

"What's the situation?"

"Bad," she answered seriously. "There are reported sightings of a Deathstalker, and a large murder of Nevermores that have been migrating around the area. That, and there's been an unusual amount of Beowolves and Ursa too."

That IS bad news. How did that even happen?

"Do we know the cause of what's attracting so many?" Fox asked, crossing his arms. "Whatever it is, it must be big."

"Yeah," Coco nodded. "Hence why we're going to investigate." She grinned as she pushed up her glasses. "I hope you all brought your a-game pants, ladies and gents, cause we're going overtime." The group nodded. With that, the woman flipped up her briefcase to her hand, and whirled around on her heel, slinging it over her shoulder. A smirk formed over her face. "Then let's get going~" The rest of her team nodded. Fox readied his copper colored, bladed gauntlets. Yatsuhashi slung the massive, single edged blade onto his back. Velvet adjusted her boots before slinging a metal case around her hip.

With that, Team CFVY headed out to the Bulkhead, where Professor Port was waiting for them.

* * *

"I." Ruby declared. "Am. So. BOOOOORED!" The silver eyed girl slumped back in her chair. "Entertain me. Please!" She begged.

Weiss scoffed. "Ruby, you've been saying that for the last hour." she said as she turned back to her book. "If you want to entertain yourself, why not read a book or something? Do something beneficial for once."

"You could always read one of Blake's books," Yang suggested. Said girl froze and promptly turned to give the blonde a disapproving glare. "What? It's a fair suggestion!"

Lyxus laughed nervously, sweat dropping at the absurdity of her suggestion. "Um, those books aren't exactly...Ruby appropriate." 'Or underage appropriate for that matter,' he added in his thoughts. He had read one of Blake's books out of curiosity, and suffice to say, his face was red when he reached a certain part of a book. he wasn't about to go into details, but suffice to say...it was a rather graphic detailing of a scene that did not need to be detailed. "Unless Ruby wants to see two people in bed all sweaty."

Blake's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red. With a twitching brow, she took a crumpled up piece of paper and chucked it at the male teen's head. He dodged it, tilting his head to the side while holding up his hands in defense. "Well, excuse me for saying the truth!" he said. "So once again, unless Ruby is interested in that stuff, it is not Ruby appropriate."

"Why? What's in it?" The youngest member of Team RWBY questioned innocently.

"Nothing you need to know."

"Aw, come on! Tell me!"

Lyxus sighed. "Ruby, if want an idea of what's in it...think of Yang's provocative comments, only far more descriptive and more worded and more suggestive, magnify it by a hundred, and then compile it into a freaking book."

At this, the red clad girl blushed and blanched. She hen shook her head vigorously. "Nevermind! I'm good!"

"Good choice," Weiss nodded in approval before she glared at the blonde. "Also, why must you read such disgusting books? It's very unladly-like."

"Whatever you say, Ice Queen~"

"Hey!" What is it with people calling her Ice Queen? Just what did she do to earn a nickname like that?!

J"Ugh, I'm still so boooored!" Ruby whined. "Isn't there anything fun to do?" Weiss opened her mouth, but her team leader cut her off. "Other than studying!"

"Well, we could always see what this CFVY Team is all about," Yang offered. "I mean, I've been dying to stake out the competition!"

Lyxus frowned. "Competition?" he asked. "For what?"

"The Vytal Festival!" Weiss answered with a smile. "The largest celebration and event held every year, where all four Kingdoms gather to participate! It serves as a reminder of the peace we all fought for after the conclusion of the war 80 years ago!"

"So this...Vytal Festival...is a tournament of sorts...?"

"Yep."

"To that, I am looking forward to." Yang giggled. "It's gonna be a blast!"

"It's still quite a ways off, however." Blake interjected. "Back on the subject, it seems like Team CFVY left just a few minutes ago."

Lyxus blinked as he turned to the amber-eyed girl. "How do you...?" Wordlessly, Blake raised her Scroll, which apparently showed the status of all Teams. Lyxus had learned about this particular function when Weiss showed him how to work it, and how to reach the mission board. Other than the teachers offering them missions, some can be taken on by the Students when they have been granted permission. However, each team is based on a rank, much like the missions. RWBY was currently E-Rank, which was to be expected, as all first-year teams started out as such. They could take on E-Level requests, but they required permission from teachers for D-Level, and were not allowed to take C-Level requests or higher. As shown on Blake's screen, Team CFVY was listed as being on a mission, and were also listed as C-Rank. "Oh."

Ruby's jaw dropped. "Wait, they're a C-Rank Team?!" she asked in shock. "Aw man! That's unfair!"

"What did you expect, Ruby?" Weiss sighed. "They're a second-year team. They're definitely more experienced than us."

"I know, but still...!"

"If it makes you feel better, Ruby," Lyxus tried to cheer her up, showing Team RWBY's statistics on his own Scroll. "We're listed as one of the higher rankings teams in terms of E-Rank."

"Whoa, really?!" Her eyes glimmered in hope and amazement.

"Well, it's be expected." Blake said. "After all, we DID kill an elder Nevermore. That has a lot of weight."

"You can say the same about Jaune and his team, though." Weiss added. "Taking down a Death Stalker that big is no easy feat."

"Indeed. Especially since the Grimm that we fought back then were some of the Elder Grimm." Lyxus added.

"Again, why not check out the competition?" Yang suggested once more. "I mean, come on! Not only do we get to scout the competition, we get to see experienced Huntress and Huntsman in action!" Yang's words do bring up a solid point...however, there were a few implications...

"...you just want to get away from school work, don't you?" Lyxus deadpanned. In response, Yang grinned. He sighed. "Figures..."

"Even if we do follow Yang's crazy method of slacking off..." Blake said, much to the blonde's indignation. "...How are we going to catch up to them?"

"Bulkhead, maybe?" Ruby offered. "Oh, but if we want to meet up with them, we'd have to get permission from one of the teachers."

"Yeah...that would be an issue..."

"In other words, it is a futile effort." Weiss said, smirking. In truth, she didn't really see the point of it all. Sure, they would get to see their upperclassmen fight, which would be a worthwhile experience, but that was just it. Experience. There were some things they must experience for themselves. Besides, she really wanted to study up on the exam Professor Peach was going to be holding. "So, I suggest you all-"

Suddenly, Ruby's Scroll buzzed. "Huh?" she cocked her head to the side as she took out out of her pocket. "Who's calling me?" She tapped the screen a few times before she picked up the call.

"Ah, Ruby." Ozpin's voice greeted them. "Just the girl I want to see. Please bring your team and come to my office. We have something to discuss."

Before Ruby could even ask what he wanted to discuss, the call came to an end.

The room was silent afterwards. Weiss was the one who spoke first. "Alright...what did you guys do?"

"Nothing that I know of." Lyxus answered, turning to Yang. "Did you do anything?"

"Nope." Yang shook her head, and then turned to Blake. "You do anything?" Blake shook her head. The blonde then turned to Ruby. "Ruby, did you do anything?"

"No." The girl shook her head.

The five were confused. Why did Ozpin want to see them? Though they were unsure, they decided to not to question it until they arrived. They got up, and left the room, heading to the Headmaster's Office.

* * *

"...don't you think you've had one drink to many, old man?"

"Ah, shaddap...hic...Just fhill me ahnother...!" A middle aged man at the bar hiccuped.

Qrow Branwen was a middle-aged man with graying black, spiky hair, red eyes, a slight stubble along his jawline, and wore a red, tattered cloak, and a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. He also had a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right fourth finger, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant. Currently, he was sitting at the bar, his face red and his voice cracking, most likely wasted. He had already worked on five or six shots of Altesian Vodka, which was arguably one of the strongest alcoholic drinks.

"Okay, I think you've had enough." the bartender decided as he took the shot glass away. "Seriously, man...wasting yourself like this can't be healthy."

"Don't...hic...you tell me...hic...what is or ain't...hic...good for me...hic..." Qrow slurred as he tried to reach for the glass. Before he could, however, a hand whipped out and smacked out. "Ow!" Qrow winced. "Okay, wh-who's the bastard..."

"Honestly, Qrow..." a sigh escaped the owner of the hand. "Can't you go one day without drinking?"

The man looked up, and promptly grinned. "Well well...hick...look who decided to join us..." he giggled. "H-hey, bartender! Hic, grab the best beer for my buddy!"

The bartender sighed this time, shaking his head. He then turned to the man. "What will it be, Mr. Xiao Long?"

"Just the usual, my good man..." The man shrugged as he pulled up a seat next to Qrow. He was a middle aged man with short, close-cropped blonde hair and blue eyes. His complexion was tanned from sun exposure. He was dressed in a beige collared shirt with a dark brown collar with a few buttons undone and a dark brown, unbuttoned vest over it. He wore a red bandana around his left bicep, and a silver pauldron on his right shoulder. His right hand was covered in a black fingerless glove with a brown wrist guard wrapped around his forearm. He also wore orange cargo shorts, a brown belt, and gray sneakers. A black tattoo that vaguely resembled a heart was located on his right upper arm. This man was Taiyang Xiao Long.

"So...hic!" Qrow hiccuped as he tried once again to grab the glass, albeit fruitlessly. "What brings you out here...?"

"I needed to talk to you about something..."

Qrow paused. He quirked an eyebrow as he turned to his friend. "...what about?"

"I got a letter from my daughters," Taiyang said. "Seems like they're doing well at Beacon. Good teammates, and so far, a good start to the year..." He chuckled. "Though Ruby had a bit of trouble with her partner."

"Really?" the man straightened himself out. He was now sober. "Who is it?"

"Weiss Schnee."

"..." Qrow's expression became blank. After a few moments, he sighed and scratched his head. "Ruby partnered with Winter's sister, eh? Didn't see that coming."

"Yeah, I know." the man nodded. "And apparently, her team has five members, not four."

Qrow cracked a smile. "Five man, eh? That brings back memories. So, who's our favorite firecracker's partner?"

"A girl named Blake Belladonna," Taiyang answered with a shrug. "From what I've read she's pretty quiet, keeps her nose in a book most of the time...the sort of books Yang would read."

The gray clad man looked at his former team mate. "...Better hope the kid doesn't get curious about them then. So...who's the fifth member of their little group?"

Taiyang was silent. The man frowned. "Okay, what's bad about this kid?" he asked. "You must know something about this kid to make you hot and bothered?"

"...it's a boy."

"Ha! That's what your worried about? Well, then again, I suppose he's a lucky bastard, having four girls with him and all~"

"That's exactly why I'm like this, Qrow." Taiyang sighed in annoyance. "All Ruby has told me is that he has amnesia. I don't like this, not in the least! What if he's a womanizer?! What if he tries to make a move on my baby girl?!"

"well, if that is ever a possibility, you can be sure that Yang would step in and castrate the guy."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Qrow backed up from Taiyang's shout. He wasn't sure if it was because of the loudness or the alcohol, but his head was ringing now. "You don't understand, Qrow!" Tai bellowed. "You're not a father! Do you know what it's like?! Not being able to know who exactly might be after your baby girl, when you don't even know what he looks like?!"

"Uh, no...?" Of course Qrow wouldn't know. He was still a bachelor even to this day.

"EXACTLY!" Taiyang threw his arms up in exasperation.

The gray-haired man sighed as he looked at the bartender. "...can I get a whiskey here?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I believe you have drunk enough for one day..."

Qrow groaned. This was gonna be a loooooong day. _'Should have brought Tylenol.'_

* * *

"Team RWBAY is reporting for duty!" Ruby announced, standing in front of the Headmaster. "So, uh...what did one of us do wrong?"

The silver haired man smiled as he shook his head. "Do not worry. None of you did anything wrong. Rest assured, you are not in trouble."

"Eh?" Yang blinked. "Then...why are we being called in?" Ozpin didn't answer, rather it seemed like he was waiting for them to come to a conclusion. The blonde then felt a grin spread across her face. "Wait, don't tell me...we got a mission!"

"That is correct, Ms. Xiao Long." Ozpin nodded. The team was now excited. They have a mission? That was awesome!

"Out of curiosity, Headmaster," Weiss raised her hand. "Why are we being called on for a mission? It's quite early for a first-year team to be receiving one."

"True," the man nodded in agreement. "However, you'll have to call me unfair for picking favorites." This earned the group a surprised reaction. Ozpin actually favored them? That was rather surprising, though Ruby felt more excited by it. If being in Ozpin's good graces meant more missions, she was even more ecstatic. "Now then, I trust you know about Team CFVY."

Lyxus nodded. "It's a second year team. In fact, we met two of their members already. Velvet and Yatsuhashi."

"Very good, then. Your mission will be to accompany the second year team on their mission in the Northern Quadrant to exterminate the Grimm congregating in the area."

Ruby's eyes lit up with joy as she jumped into the air. "YES!" she cheered. "We get to see an experienced team in action! And a chance to see their weapons~!"

"Whoa, calm down there Rubes." Yang chuckled. "Sheesh, you get excited over the smallest things."

Lyxus, however, frowned when he later learned that the Grimm had become more active. "Why are there so many Grimm?" he asked out of curiosity. "Is something bad happening over there?"

"That's why I'm sending you with CFVY, to investigate what's causing the disturbance." Ozpin explained. "I'm fully aware that Coco Adel and her team can take this mission on by themselves, but it doesn't hurt to have back-up. Plus, it will be a good experience for the five of you."

The rest of the team nodded in understanding. Ozpin brought up good points. After all, they were only first years. Sending them with an experienced second year team will be a good learning experience.

"So, when do we leave?" Blake asked.

Ozpin smiled. "Effective immediately, Team RWBAY." he told them. "Good luck to you all." The five bowed their heads, and left the room. However, as Lyxus was about to leave, Ozpin called out to him. "Ah, Lyxus. A moment?"

The odd-eyed teen raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "I'll catch up with you guys," he told his team. The girls nodded, and went on ahead. Lyxus closed the door behind him, and then stood in front of the desk. "What is it, Headmaster?"

"How are you enjoying your stay here thus far?" the man asked. "I hope it's brought at least some clues about your past."

"...unfortunately, I haven't really recalled anything during these past few weeks. But my team mates are helping me however they can, though..."

"That's good," Ozpin nodded. "It's important to know that you have people to count on whenever you meet new comrades and friends." Lyxus smiled at this, and nodded in agreement. He felt truly lucky to have girls like them in his life, willing to help him whenever possible. "I'm afraid I've had little luck helping you, I'm afraid. I've asked a few of my colleagues in the neighboring Kingdoms, but none of them had any answers about you."

Lyxus sighed at this. "I was afraid of that..."

"By the way, Lyxus..." Ozpin spoke up. "Does the name STRQ mean anything to you?"

"...STRQ...?" Lyxus' expression fell. Lyxus frowned as he folded his arms. He felt as if he had heard that name before, but he couldn't quite remember it. It was almost within reach, yet also far out of grasp. He furrowed his brow, digging into the back of his mind, but he was unable to find the answer. "...no, I haven't." he said as he looked at the professor. "Why? What's STRQ?"

Ozpin shook his head, sighing slightly. "It was the name of a team that graduated here from the past. I was simply curious if you knew anything about it."

"Sorry, Headmaster." Lyxus apologized. "It does sound familiar to me, but I don't know why...maybe I've heard about them somewhere before. Who were the team members?"

"Well, only two of them are active Huntsman, whereas one of them is now retired. The leader was actually Ruby's mother."

At this, the boy's eyes widened considerably. "Wait, Ruby's mom?!" he asked in surprise. "Wow..."

"Indeed, not only her, but her father as well. As a matter of fact, just about all the members are related to Ruby and Yang, if you can believe that."

"All of them...? That's crazy..." Lyxus tilted his head, trying to imagine what they were like. "They must have been one heck of a team."

Ozpin smiled widely. "Indeed they were, young man," he said with pride evident in his voice. "In fact, Ruby's uncle was the one who taught young Ruby how to wield a scythe. It is not often you find someone that young with that level of skill."

"Amazing..." the boy thought. "Well...is that all, headmaster?"

"Yes it is. Sorry for taking your time, Lyxus."

The boy waved it off. "It was no trouble, headmaster." he said. With that, he left the room.

Left alone in his office, Ozpin rested his chin on his folded hands, his expression solemn. Wordlessly, he pulled up the same corrupted file on Team STRQ that he was searching through before. As Glynda had said it had taken a considerable amount of time for the file to be repaired, though it was now partially restored. "I wonder..." the man muttered underneath his breath. "Is possible that he is..."

The face on the file was obscured by disfigured pixels, as was the name, but the placement this person on was clear. There was also some discernable features despite the figure's face being so heavily obscured. All one could make out was the silver eye on the right side of their face.

As for team placement...it was as clear as day.

" **STARQ** "

The true name of the team made all those years ago. A five person team. Much like Team RWBAY.

"If it is possible..." Ozpin hummed, drumming his fingers atop his hand. "Then it begs the question...why now?"

* * *

"Oh, so you guys are coming with, eh?" Coco asked as they entered the Bulkhead. "Well, I'm not complaining. Nice to have some back up. Name's Coco Adel, the leader of this band of misfits." The fashionista grinned when she saw Velvet pout, whereas Fox looked amused. Yasuhashi Daichi remained as stoic and stone-faced as ever, sitting with his arms crossed over his chest, a massive sword sitting next to him.

"Nice to meet you too!" Ruby said with a grin. "Ruby Rose, team leader of RWBAY, the five-man team! We're happy to help!"

"So you guys are the team that's been the talk of the school lately..." she mused.

"Jeez, does everyone know about us?" Weiss grumbled. Yang opened her mouth to speak, but the white-haired heiress cut her off once again. "And don't say another word about thsi damned celebrity thing!"

Yang pouted, looking off to the side. "Killjoy..." she muttered before looking over her shoulder, seeing a familiar face running up to them. "Oh, Lyx! There you are! What took ya?"

"Sorry, Professor Ozpin just had something to ask of me before I left." he apologized.

"what did he ask?"

"Nothing really," he shrugged. "Just if I was adjusting well." He then turned to Coco, bowing his head. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Adel. I'm Lyxus. I hope we get along."

"...I certainly hope so," the woman said with a smirk. For some reason, the girls of Ruby became heavily unnerved by this, as she began to size up him, circling around him. Velvet, for her part, looked confused by what she was doing, while the boys understood what she was doing, and promptly sighed. Lyxus frowned in confusion. Just what was she doing? Was there something off about-

"WHOA!"

Without warning, Lyxus yelped, his face turning bright red as he jumped away from Coco, holding his butt protectively. The girls were left in utter bewilderment, faces also red by what happened. "W-wh-what the hell are you doing?!"

"Damn that is a firm ass," Coco grinned. "I feel envious. You girls are lucky~"

"wh-what was that for?!" Lyxus stammered.

"Just a friendly greeting~"

"Don't take it personally," Fox told him. "Coco likes doing that to any guy she considers remotely attractive."

"She does...?" Then the words finally sunk in. "W-w-wait...I...I'm attractive?"

"And then some," Coco giggled. "Well, time's a wasting, ladies and gents!" Without another word, she walked into the airship.

"...did she just..." Blake said slowly. "...grab Lyxus'..."

Weiss nodded slowly. "...yes. Yes she did."

"Now that's my kind of girl~" Yang grinned. She then patted Lyxus on the back, nearly throwing him to the ground. "Must be nice to hear a cute girl calling you attractive, right?"

"I-I guess..." the boy stuttered, his face red. He wasn't quite sure how to properly take that. He was...attractive? He certainly didn't think so. He thought he was merely plain.

"Come on you guys!" Ruby shouted, already at the opening to the airship. "Let's go! A mission's calling for us!"

The rest of Team RWBAY nodded, and quickly fell inside, taking their seats. Shortly afterward, the doors closed, and the large ship slowly began to rise into the air. In moments, it took off, reaching high into the sky, and heading straight for it's destination.

From the window of his office, Ozpin watched as the airship flew towards the northern quadrant of Vale.

"It looks like they're off," Glynda commented as she walked up next to him. "Although, I'm still not sure if this decision is the correct one." She pushed up her glasses as she gave the man a disapproving glare. "They may be one of the higher-ranking first-years, but they're still first years nonetheless. What if this proves to be too difficult?"

"It won't," he assured her, taking a sip of his coffee. "Especially not with CFVY around. After all, they are on the strongest second year teams we have."

The woman sighed. "...I should have expected you to take such a gamble." she muttered. "At any rate...it seems repairing that file is going to take longer than we thought. Whoever tried to erase it knew what they were doing." A troubled expression crossed her face. "I'm still confused about this...how was STARQ a five-man team? As I recall, they had four members."

Ozpin said nothing as he took a sip of his coffee. His solemn eyes were focused on the dark liquid as he swirled in his mug.

"...Ozpin?"

"...let's just say the answer to that mystery lies within a certain dusty old crow..."

* * *

"Wow, you actually got the parts to make that?! That's crazy! It took me three years just to get Crescent Rose to where it is!"

"My parents are pretty wealthy, and having a nice fat allowance helped too, so it wasn't too hard. It was finding the parts that were the real problem. Still pretty cool weapon you got. Saw you guys work at Initiation. I'll say this much, you got bragging rights for the only kid in school to chop off an Elder Nevermore's head while running up a cliff."

"Oh, stop it..." Ruby blushed as she swooned from the compliment.

"How about you guys?" Yang asked curiously. "What did you kill at Initiation?"

The members of Team CFVY glanced at one another before responding. "We took on a giant ape," Fox said. "A very angry, very big ape."

The members of team RWBAY, aside from Lyxus, gaped at what they just heard. "You...you guys took out a Giant Kong?!"

"Yep," Coco nodded. "Although, wasn't easy..." She scowled as she recalled the battle with the damned thing that had caused them so much trouble during their Initiation last year. "Stupid thing destroyed my favorite hat."

The girls frowned at this. She was angry over her hat being destroyed? "It's just how Coco is," Velvet explained to them. "Let us put it to you this way. Destroy her favorite clothing store, and well...let's just say you have a date with death earlier than you thought."

"...sorry," Lyxus stopped the conversation as he raised his hand. "But what's a Giant Kong?"

Everyone turned to face the amnesiac teen. Members of Team CFVY bore incredulous expressions while the rest of RWBAY looked on in sympathy. "Well, to start off, a Kong is a type of Grimm that bears the form of a Gorilla. A Giant Kong is, well, a Kong that has lived long enough to grow to a massive size." Weiss explained.

Lyxus frowned. "...why do I get the picture of Nora hog riding it like she did with the Ursa back at Initiation?" he asked, almost at random, earning a few snickers.

"How do you not know what a Kong is?" Coco asked as she adjusted her sunglasses. "Everyone should know about every type of Grimm at Training Schools."

"Oh, um..." Ruby fidgeted, taking a glance at Lyxus. She wasn't sure if she should tell them that her friend didn't have any memories. To her and her team, it was a very big deal, but they were unsure of whether or not to reveal this fact to others. As far as she knew, she and her team, as well as Ozpin, and likely the teachers, were aware of Lyxus' situation, but not the other students. She did want to tell Jaune, but she wanted Lyxus' permission to do so. After all, it was a matter that involved him greatly. "W-well, you see..."

"I don't have any memories," Lyxus said, earning a collective group of wide-eyed stares. "The only thing I remember is waking up in the Emerald Forest during Initiation. The Headmaster didn't see my name on the list, but he let me stay here and enroll." His team mates stared at him with expressions of disbelief. Was Lyxus...really okay in telling them all this? This was something very personal to him.

"R-really...?" Velvet whispered.

"Seriously?" Fox said, clearly in shock. He had heard a few things about the mysterious student who showed up out of nowhere during Initiation, but he had never expected this. "Damn..."

"You have my condolences." Yatsuhashi bowed his head. He did not know what it was like to be without memories.

"Damn..." Coco said slowly as she shook her head. "That's...gotta be terrifying."

"Not really," Lyxus shrugged his shoulders. "To be honest, even if I don't get my memories back, I can always make new ones. Like this one," he smiled widely. "The memory of going on a mission with another team. In life, memories will always come and go, but new ones are something you can always treasure."

"But we're definitely going to help you get your memories back," Weiss interjected, her tone serious. "Of that, you can be sure of. In fact, I stake that promise on the pride of the Schnee Family!"

"Hear hear!" Ruby pumped her fist into the air. "It's Team RWBAY's mission to get Lyxus Animus' memories back, no matter the cost!"

"Yeah! What she said!" Yang mimicked the action.

"Agreed." Blake nodded as well.

Coco smiled. "Looks like you have some pretty good teammates." she said, earning a large smile from the group. Sadly, the moment was short lived as she developed a lecherous smile. "So, which one of girls is his girlfriend?"

The faces of Team RWBAY glowed a bright crimson. The sole male looking as if his mind short-circuited.

15h ago"W-WHAT?!" Weiss shrieked. "What on Remnant are you talking about?! We've known him for close to a month!"

"So?" Coco waved her hand in dismisal. "I've seen plenty of teammates hook up not long after Initiation."

"Wha-ho, hey now," Yang held up her hands defensively. "I like boys as much as the next girl, but that's a little fast, don'tcha think?"

"Y-Yeah! We're only team mates! And Friends! Friendly team mates!" Ruby stammered.

Blake gave no comment, but her face was also slightly red.

"Coco...I think you should stop teasing them." Fox stated.

"Aw, come on, Fox~" Coco whined. "When am I gonna get the chance to tease a team like this? Also, you can't tell me something is bound to happen!" She wiggled her eyebrows at the Team. "A boy on a team full girls? A recipe for something scandalous~ It'd be even more so if you ended up in a relationship with all of the girls!"

At this, Lyxus spluttered. "W-What are you talking about, Ms. Adel?!" he gawked. "That's the same as polygamy! Worse! It's a damned harem! I know for a fact that NEVER works out in real life! I've read plenty of books to know what happens to guys who toy around with people's hearts!" Plenty of books was an understatement. Ever since the month school began officially for the students, Lyxus had borrowed and bought several books online with the money Ozpin had provided for him. The collection he sported was far greater than Blake's own collection of books, and read every one so far. Each book contained various subjects, some even for entertainment, and among those books was the subject of harems and the like. "A-and besides! What girl would be interested in me?!"

Why would anyone be interested in him? He was just plain and average. There was no way he would catch the eye of any girl.

"You never know~"

"Attention, Huntsmen," the pilot's voice cracked over the intercom. "We are approaching our destination. Prepare for dropoff."

With that, any form of joviality and awkwardness the atmosphere had was extinguished as the nine students prepared themselves for the mission at hand.

"...we've arrived." Yasuhashi stated as he stood up. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and lifted it up, slipping it behind his back. "It's time."

Lyxus nodded, and stood up, as did the others. They all gathered by the doors, and drew their weapons. Coco's weapon remained in it's handbag form, while Velvet did not draw hers, causing confusion. "You're not going to bring out your weapon?" Weiss asked. "You should probably get it out."

"Believe it or not, it already is." Coco said with a smirk. This earned even more confused looks. "You'll see."

Then, the doors to the Bulkhead opened up. The doors revealed the scene below them...and it was not pretty. The area below them was gray and desolate. Only a scare amount of dying foliage was present.

"Oh my god..." Lyxus muttered, aghast. "This is horrible."

"How could...how could this happen...?" Ruby questioned.

"Guess we're about to find out." Blake said, eyes narrowed dangerously. She wasn't sure why, but she felt a sense of foreboding feeling from all of this. She felt as if there was something here...something that resonated with her, and not in the good way. _'I wonder...'_ she thought, staring out into the ruined distance. _'Could he...be here...?'_

* * *

"...looks like you've done a lot of damage, Mr. Taurus. Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less of you."

Adam said nothing. Instead, he merely gave a silent, yet intense glare to the speaker. In spite of his prejudice and hatred towards them, the speaker was human, albeit one of rare oddity. He wore a gray t-shirt with a black scarf around his neck, and baggy pants with black boots. Fashioned over the left side of his body was a dark gray robe with tribal markings, and an insignia in the center, vaguely resembling the snarling head of a dragon. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, despite his youthful appearance, bearing messy black hair with a dark blue tint around the right side of his bangs. His left eye was silver, but the right eye was pitch black, lacking a pupil. It was hard to tell if there was one.

"You've also accomplished the task at hand with splendid finesse as well," the man praised the red-haired warrior. "Strike so quickly that they had no idea who was attacking them, and cripple their communications. With them left in so much disarray, the Grimm were sure to be attracted, and with the local Huntsmen out of the way, it's only a matter of time before they're stamped out." A dark smile touched his lips as he hopped down from the fallen tree, turning to the Bull Faunus. "You have my thanks...at least, that is what I would say, if you held any tolerance towards me."

Adam snorted. "At least you know where we stand." he said coldly. "All I want to know is...do we have your cooperation in the near future?"

"That all depends on what your conspirator has in mind," the man shrugged. He looked up at the sky, and his smile grew. "Ah, it would appear the children have arrived." He rolled his shoulders as he strode past the man and his subordinates, cracks echoing in the area. "I better go get the welcoming party started."

"...You do that." The White Fang leader nodded curtly. Without another word and a wry grin, the man left the area. With him gone, Adam inclined his head to gaze at the clouds. He felt as if something resonated with him. "...Could it be...you...?" He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but he felt an odd sense of familiarity. He knew she had left because she no longer agreed with them, but was it possible she had...?

...no. It wouldn't matter. She had betrayed the White Fang. She was an enemy now. And she was his responsibility. No one would deal with her but him.

"Blake..."

* * *

"The Settlement's just a few miles up west of here," Coco said as they trekked through the ashen-gray forest...or what was left of it. The bark was burnt, the leaves turned to ash, the ground smoking into a barren gray. "Hopefully there are people who can tell us what's been attracting the Grimm."

"Yeah...But...just what do you think caused all of this...?" Yang questioned as she scanned the destruction of the surrounding area. Ruby examined one of the trees, placing her palm against the burnt bark. As the fire had long since faded, the wood was only slightly warm, though that wasn't why she was observing it. Her silver eyes narrowed into the bark, as she found a few traces of what appeared to be some sort of remnants of battle or struggle. The bark had small scratches, belonging to something sharp like a knife or blade. This wasn't some natural disaster...A battle had taken place here. The young girl removed her hand from the bark and looked at her palm. Her flesh was powdered dark by ash from the charred wood and flecks of dried blood that had stained the trees.

"...there was a fight here," she called out. "And it wasn't from Grimm. There's sword marks on this tree." The others moved over to where Ruby was to get a better look. Upon closer inspection, they found that she was right. The cuts on the tree looked too slim and clean to come from Grimm Claws.

"So..." Yang frowned. "Bandits?"

"It's possible...but these marks are too clean to be made from a common thug." Yatsuhashi noted as he traced the lines with his fingers. This disturbed the group. If this wasn't caused by Grimm, or simple thugs...what could have caused them? They then turned their attention to the Settlement, which laid not far from where they were. They would soon find the answers they sought once they met with the survivors, if there were after the attack. With that in mind, the group moved up ahead. However, as they did, Lyxus frowned, his fingers touching the scar at his neck. It felt strangely irritated, as if something was making it uncomfortable.

Why was this even happening? It was so strange...and yet...his instincts were screaming at him...telling him something was horribly, horribly wrong.

"Lyx?" Ruby called out to him, standing next to him with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No! It's nothing! Really!" He waved off the concern.

Ruby gave him a mock glare. "Lyx..."

Lyxus bit his lower lip. He didn't want them to worry about him but...Ruby's glare was really persuading. "...my scar's acting up," he confessed. "I don't know why."

Ruby cocked her head. "Scar?" It then ocurred to Lyxus that none of the girls, sans Weiss, had actually seen it. He adjusted his tie and lowered his shirt collar down enough to reveal it. As soon as he did, Ruby's eyes widened considerably, and became filled with sorrow and terror. "L-Lyxus, where did you get that?! That looks fatal!"

"Weiss said the same thing," the odd-eyed teen noted. "I don't know where I got...what I do know is that it's burning."

"Wait you...you already showed Weiss? Why didn't you tell any of us?!" she yelled, attracting the attention of the others.

"Well, because I...I didn't think it was relevant. I mean...I don't even remember how I got it..."

And yet, somehow, he had a feeling he would find out what caused it soon enough...

 **-Chapter...END-**

 ** _Next Time: One-Eyed Silver (I) - the Beast Awakens_**

* * *

 **Sweet sodding hell this took forever to post and edit! You'd think my depression was done, but it's like a goddamn cancer! Seriously, sometimes I feel like Sweeney Todd near the end of his movie before he gets a "shave" himself! ...and dear God that joke was terrible. I REALLY need to stop watching TearofGrace's Dark Souls Videos.  
**

 **Anyway, we're getting straight into the first original storyline here my story, and as you can see, the setup is going to be quite the confrontation, especially since Blake and Adam have the possibility of reuniting MUCH MUCH earlier than expected! That, and the questions are all abound here! STARQ was a five-man team? Who's the mysterious fifth member? And is he still around? And what on Earth does Lyxus have to do with any of it?! And who in the bloody hell is the guy who Adam is working with? What I can tell you for sure is that this guy is definitely someone you need to watch out for. As you can see, he also has a Silver Eye. Does this mean he's related to Ruby in some way? Maybe. In truth, they really haven't explained the lore behind the silver-eyed warriors, other than that the Grimm are terrified of them.**

 **As the title of next chapter suggests, you're going to get to see some major hardcore asskicking of the raging variety...and Lyxus FINALLY showing off his Semblance! Bloody fucking finally! And this is, what? Four, five chapters later?! ...well then again, I have yet to show off Rouge from Black Rebellion's Semblance, so I can't really say that, now can I? Well, at any rate, here is the current status of the poll:**

 **With 1 Vote, we have Harems: Blake and Yang, Ruby and Weiss, and Yang Xiao Long.**

 **With 3 Votes, we have Blake Belladonna.**

 **With 5 Votes, we have Ruby Rose.**

 **With 6 Votes, we have Cinder Fall.**

 **With 8 Votes, we have Weiss Schnee.**

 **With 10 Votes, we have Harem: Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake.**

 **In the lead, with a staggering 32 Vote count, is Harem: Team RWBY Plus Cinder!**

 **The poll will be closed when next chapter is posted, however I should state that I will be starting my senior year in school in a few days, thus I cannot work on my stories often. What I CAN do for you, though, is recommend my good friends: Otaku-Nation666 and Code-Emperor07!**

 **Code-Emperor07 and I have been friends for a few years, and we've done some amazing stories. Among his best works are Fractured Existence, The Crimson Dragon, and LNCE of Kresnik. The last one is one I personally recommend to you, if you are a Tales of Xillia fan!**

 **Otaku-Nation666 is actually my newly made foster brother, who my family took in a long time ago. He is Joshua's younger brother, the same person who got me into this stuff in the first place! He's recently started out, and he's made some GREAT content! You might know him for RWBY: Within Enlightened Hearts, which is probably my FAVORITE RWBY story! Some of his best works also include Fabulae Parcae, and his newly published story, RWBY: Academia of Blood.**

 **Well, that's it for my advertisement! Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please tell me in your reviews! And please check out the people I have mentioned above. They really deserve the praise for their hard work.**

 **With that said, I am out of here! Demons Anarchy of Pride, OUT!**


	5. Chapter 3

**RWBY: Colorless Memories**

* * *

 _Opening Theme: Hey Kids! by Amanda Lee  
_

 _ **"TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE HERO!"  
**_

 _ **[Instrumental]**_

 _ **Tonight, they'll don their masks – the kids that tear it down**_

 _ **And all these scheming lies will soon evoke the end**_

 _ **Turn up the temperature, entice that golden taste  
**_

 _ **Give it some FLAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR** _

_**"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Return to the yesterday we cast away,**_

 _ **The scene will overflow**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **We'll overrun the point of no return, I know**_

 _ **"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"**_

 _ **Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego**_

 _ **"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"**_

 _ **Call out to me, come on, again and again**_

 ** _"YOU KNOW? I'M REALLY TIRED OF YOUR PISS-POOR ATTITUDE_**

 ** _MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY  
_**

 _ **SHOW ME SOME RESPECT, JEEZ!**_

 ** _DO YOU - DO YOU HAVE ANY?!_**

 ** _IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF  
_**

 ** _I SWEAR YOU DO IT TO PISS ME OFF!  
_**

 ** _TSK, WHAT A SHAME_**

 ** _YOU DO DON'T YOU?!"  
_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your hand_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Return to the yesterday we cast away,_**

 ** _The scene will overflow_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _We'll overrun the point of no return, I know_**

 ** _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_**

 ** _Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego_**

 ** _"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"_**

 ** _Call out to me, come on, again and again_**

 ** _Whoa-ooo-oooh_**

 ** _Just wanna hold your haaaaaaand!_**

 ** _NOW SWEAR TO RESPECT THE HERO!_**

 ** _[Instrumental]_**

* * *

Volume I: Remnant's of the Past Forgotten

 _Chapter 3: One-Eyed Silver (I) - The Beast Awakens  
_

Many thoughts ran through Lyxus' mind as he, Team RWBY, and Team CFVY trekked through the ruins of the sector.

The damage was just as bad as when they entered the sector, finding nothing but burned woodland, and scars ripping across the bark. There were a few traces of blood, yet so far, not a single body left behind. the group hoped for the best assumed that they had all managed to get away. Yet some of them had sinking feelings in their stomachs. Nevertheless, they suppressed those feelings and continued onward.

"...Coco," Blake called out. "How much further until we reach the settlement?"

"Not that much longer. I'd say about ten more minutes of walking." The Fashionista responded.

Weiss frowned. "I hope nothing bad has happened," she murmured. "This level of destruction is...I don't even know where to start."

"Indeed." Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement. "This much carnage is troubling. We can only pray nothing happened to the village yet."

"What even caused this?" Lyxus questioned. "Moreover, who was fighting who or what?"

"That is what we are here to find out..." Fox answered him.

There was still an unnerved feeling among the students. Despite their words and hopes...they were dreading to see the sight of the village.

 _'I hope nothing's happened,'_ the amnesiac teen hoped, his hand tracing his scar. _'Why is my scar acting up? Is something in the air irritating it? Or...is it just a bad feeling?'_

He tried to squash down such negative thoughts, but the sensation from his scar is overriding his mind. Just what had caused him to get this scar in the first place, anyway? No matter how hard he tries to find that particular memory, he always comes up blank. Then again, everything about him was a blank these days. Most of the time, he didn't mind. But at times like these...he wished he knew more..

"Lyx?" Yang asked from next to him, looking concerned. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine..." he answered, albeit uncertainly. "Just...thinking about stuff."

He didn't want to worry his team mates more than he already had. After all, they had all decided to want to help him get his memories back, which was worry enough. When they found out about the scar, the worry only became worse. None of them knew what had happened, but the fact that it was made by human hands suggested that someone had tried to kill him. That alone horrified them, but at first, he wasn't too worried about it. After all, it was just a scar, though now that it was becoming irritated for some reason, he had reason to believe otherwise. The devastation around him did not help matters, either. He was still horrified that people could do this damage.

Why had this happened...who would have wanted to do this? While he knew nothing about the people in this village, this amount of destruction was not what anyone deserved.

It was as if the culprit would do so for the sake of spreading chaos. And from what he recalled in class, from chaos come forth the Grimm as they were drawn to negative emotions such as anger, sorrow, and fear.

"...I wonder if any Grimm are nearby," he said aloud. "We've been walking for a while and so far, we haven't seen a single one yet."

"Now that you mention it..." Velvet trailed off. He was right. After all their walking, none of them had even seen a Grimm nearby. It was strange. With a destroyed place like this, one would assume the Grimm would be congregating. But there was nothing.

"There are reports of a lot of Grimm in the area," Coco said as she pushed up her sunglasses. "Though I don't see a single one...hm, maybe they're not in the area? Perhaps further up."

"Let's just hope that they are not close to the village."

That was received with a universal nod.

* * *

"...sir, the students from Beacon Academy have arrived."

"And?"

"...Blake is with them."

Adam grew silent, but the tense grip of wilt in his hand conveyed his feelings on the matter. "...I see."

It had been less than an hour since their collaborator had chosen to leave in order to go greet the Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training from Beacon Academy. At first, Adam hadn't planned on intervening, as it didn't concern him...though a gut feeling had ordered his men to scout on ahead and see who had been thrown into the thick of things. Hearing Blake was with them wasn't a surprise...in fact, he anticipated it. The foolish girl thought she could change things by becoming a Huntress...it was naive, really.

The world wasn't that easy. Just because you became a Huntsmen, you would not be cleansed of your sins. Even worse, you would be forced to obey the system in place. You cannot change the world on your own. The world will not allow that. It would merely place you under its thumb and make you into a puppet for one of the Kingdoms.

He of all people should know that...and so should Blake. He understands she wants to change the world...but her methods are doomed to fail.

It was impossible to change a world like this...a world where the humans continue to suppress them. She was going to have to understand that there was no changing them. The only way to make them understand...was to give them the same pain that they went through. He would make her understand...even if he had to use force. He still remembered that day clearly, when she parted. The pain, the betrayal, the sadness...it had yet to leave him.

This was the only chance he would give her...he could welcome her back. He could talk to Sienna, convince him...but if Blake refused, then...she would force his hand.

After all, she was his mistake. As such, it was his responsibility to deal with the consequences.

"Your not getting away this time, Blake..."

* * *

"Look!" Ruby cried. "There it is! I can see the settlement!" The leader of RWBY pointed put the the cluster of buildings over the horizon.

After eight minutes of trekking through burnt woodland, they finally found the Settlement. The buildings, compared to the city of Vale, were hardly grand, but it was certainly big in size, perhaps 1/3 of the city itself, and surrounding it were thick walls. However, some of the group noticed that stacks of smoke were rising around the walls. "Looks like there was a battle fought," Yatsuhashi said with narrowed eyes. "However, I see no damage to the walls."

"So no Grimm attacks from the outside?"

"No," Velvet responded. "It looks like they fought outside the walls...at least the village is safe!"

The group sighed in relief. At least the worst case scenario didn't happen. "Well," Yang cracked her knuckles. "Time to go greet the locals. Let's hope they aren't going to kill us~"

"Yang, please don't jinx it..." Ruby begged. The last thing they needed was for something to go wrong.

Sadly, it did. Right before their eyes, a large portion of the wall was engulfed in a large explosion. This alarmed the students. "What the?!" Weiss cried. However, they didn't stand gawking for long. They quickly ran towards the settlement at full speed, weapons at the ready. They were halfway there when someone appeared before them, landing right in front of them, as if he had dropped from the sky. The group halted immediately, and brought up their weapons.

"Wow, talk about a party~" the new figure said with amusement, standing up to his full height. It was a man wearing a gray t-shirt with a black scarf around his neck, and baggy pants with black boots. Fashioned over the left side of his body was a dark gray robe with tribal markings, and an insignia in the center, vaguely resembling the snarling head of a dragon. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, despite his youthful appearance, bearing messy black hair with a dark blue tint around the right side of his bangs. His left eye was silver, just like Lyxus and Ruby's, but the right eye was pitch black, lacking a pupil. It was hard to tell if there was one. "Nine brats in all eh? I feel flattered!"

"You...did you do this?!" Blake snarled. Was he the one who caused such destruction?

"Hm? Sorry...but you gotta be more clear...what would 'this' be? The wasteland you saw on your way here? The explosion? Are the complete slaughter of every single villager behind these walls?" The man gestured behind him with a thumb. "If you were hoping to save them...well you are a little late to the party..."

Their hearts dropped. A heavy weight fell upon them, fueling shock, and soon, anger. "You...killed them?!" Blake snarled. "H-how...how could you?!"

"Well, I can't take all the credit," he laughed. "After all, the White Fang are QUITE good at what they do." He relished the look on their faces as he told them that, especially Blake's look of horror. "Then again, as the old saying goes, let loose the hounds of war, am I right?" The group had no idea what to say...they were all speechless. Horror and fury filled their minds. This man...killed every villager they hoped to save...and was collaborating with the White Fang...

Lyxus felt rage course through his veins...barely registering the burning pain from his scar.

"Y-you...!" He amnesiac's single silver eyes flared violently at the mans smirking face. He felt something well up with him. Was it disgust? Horror? Rage? He didn't know. They were all jumbled up. But he did know one thing...this man...he...he was a monster...a monster...that has no right to live! "Graaaagh!" Lyxus roared in fury as he rushed towards the enemy with his shorts words drawn, filled with the intent to kill.

"Lyxus, wait!" Ruby called out. "Don't rush in!"

He didn't hear her. Instead, he brandished his blades, and swung them with the intent of cutting the man's head clean off. However, the man defended against his frontal assault easily, using a pair of daggers.

"Oho!" The mans grin grew wider. "So we got a volunteer form the audience! Well then kid..." His smirk grew malicious as his eyes narrowed. "...show me what ya got!" The man shoved Lyxus away with a kick, knocking him back. Of course, that didn't stop him. He charged forward again, letting his blades drag across the ground, causing sparks to fly. Once he was withing range, he swung again. Like before, the man defended with is knife, and parried the strike. Using the other knife, he slashed diagonally, aiming for his shoulder. Lyxus leaned back and evaded the blow. Using his momentum, he twisted his body around and extended his leg for a reverse spin kick to the mans face.

He didn't finish there as he maintained his spin and switched his sword into an overhand grip and swung his arm, fully intent on stabbing the man in the face. However, the man developed a grip, as he flicked his knife into his hand, and swung, clashing with Lyxus' sword.

Sparks flew as the blades danced.

As the two continued to fight, Ruby looked at her teammates and at Team CFVY. "We have to help!"

Weiss was already ahead of her, as a glyph danced behind her. Her icy blue eyes narrowed. "...Lyxus, get back!" The teen looked over his shoulder, and immediately understood. When the man tried to slash at his throat, he leaned back, letting the blade fly right over his neck. He then fell into a backflip, retreating as the runes behind the heiress danced.

Then, she thrusted her rapier forward, allowing a stream of flames to rip through the earth and heading straight for her opponent. The man saw this coming and jumped into the he air. But it left him wide open to the dust rounds from Crescent Rose.

"Blake," Ruby shouted. "Get him!"

"Right." The ravenette drew Gambol Shroud and transformed it into its gun mode. She aimed and fired.

Coco also aided, as her handbag began to unfold, becoming a giant black and gold gattling gun. She then let loose with the other girls, opening fire on the man. However, he proved to be fast, because as soon as he regained his senses after the first round of Crescent Rose struck him, he twirled his knives around, and began to flail his arms wildly, moving his body at different angles. The blades in his hand flew in all direction and accurately deflected each incoming bullet.

Oct 27"What the hell?" Yang gawked. "How is he...?!"

Once the man landed back on the ground, he began to jump back, evading the still oncoming storm of bullets. Eventually, he jumped atop a scorched tree that was left standing, lounging atop it's branch. "Not bad, kiddos..." he said, almost tauntingly so. "Though your gonna have to do better than that."

"You really do talk too much, you know that?" Yang growled, pounding her fists together. "Why don't you come down from there so I can kick your ass?"

"Now why would I want to do that?" the man retorted before raising an eyebrow, looking at Yang's face intently. "...waaait a second here. Haven't I met you before, bimbo?"

"What?! What are you talking about?! I never seen you before in my life!" She refuted.

"You sure?" the man asked. "I know I've seen you before...what was your name? Something to do with a bird? Birdie? No, that wasn't it? Crow? No, I think that was the kid with the scythe's name...Raven?" Yang's eyes widened to the point where they were the size of dinner plates. Her lilac eyes turned red, and her teeth gnashed together, as her hands tightened into fists. "That's right! It was Raven! Strange...I remember you having black hair, not blonde. What? You decided to go bimbo and dye your hair? Heh, always knew you were a bona fide slu-"

"One more word about my mother, you bastard, and I'll bash in your teeth!"

"Your mother?!...oh...OH...now is makes so much sense." The man, finally understanding.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him as she held her Crescent Rose at the ready. "How do you know Yang's mom?!" she shouted. "A-and who are you?!"

"Ah, another familiar face," he grinned. "You look like that white-cloaked woman...ah, now that's my kind of girl. Shame she tried to kill me." Ruby and Yang didn't blame them. The man was clearly a psychopath. "And to answer your question...the name's Gehenna. Pleasure to meet ya~"

The man sang out as he appeared behind Velvet and moved in to slice through her throat. However, Velvet surprised him when she ducked beneath the blade's swing, and whirled around. Her eyes narrowed at him as her hands moved to her side, motioning as if she were grabbing a sword. "...fly away!" In her clenched fist, a series of glowing blue lines manifested, materializing and connecting into a certain shape. In a matter of seconds, a perfect copy of Yatsuhashis sword was in her hand.

"What the fu-?!"

He was cut off when the blade struck him straight in the chest. True to Velvet's words, he was thrown right into the air. The imitation did not cut into him, however, due to the mans aura. But the force behind the blow was enough to whittle some of it away. As he landed back on the ground, he winced, rubbing his chest. "Jesus christ, woman!" he whined. "What did you-" He trailed off when he saw Yatsuhashi directly in front of him, his sword raised above his head. "Oh, for fu-!"

The bronze colored blade came down as quickly as a guillotine. Gehenna barely had enough time to block the strike with his daggers. He was thrown down to his knee, struggling to keep the blade away from slicing him apart. Coco had taken that opportunity to dash around, and aim her gun right at him. He cursed again, as she let loose once again with the hailstorm of bullets. The man grit his teeth as he felt the pain of hundreds of projectiles pelt his body. Enduring it, he leaned to the side and grabbed Yatsuhashi's arm before putting him in the way of the stream of bullets. The behemoth didn't look so much as fazed by it, though Coco immediately ceased fire. Gehenna grinned as he leaped up, and delivered a kick to Yatsuhashi's face, knocking him away and into his team leader, where they both stumbled to the ground. Just was he was about to take them both down, Fox moved in.

8He dashed in and delivered a quick series of consecutive strikes. Unfortunately, Gehemma saw through his movements and evaded them.

"Gonna have to do better than that, kid!" The man smirked before dropping down and sweep kicking Fox's feet out from under him, stood back up and slammed him to the earth with an axe kick. The dark-skinned Faunus let out a cry of pain, as his head was thrashed into the ground, creating a small crater underneath his head. Gehenna followed up with a kick to his stomach, throwing him aside. He flicked several knives into his hands and threw them with the intention of turning Fox into a pin cushion.

Lyxus, however, intervened, standing in the way of the knives and knocking them away. His shortswords moved in a blur and parried every bladed projectile.

Gehenna sighed. "Aw, man...here I was hoping to make a new pin cushion," he whined as he scratched his head. "Seriously, you kids are annoying...can't you just sit still and let me kill you?"

"And do what a psychopath says?" the heterochromatic teen gawked. "Yeah...sorry if I don't quite agree with you!"

"Haha! Touche!" The man smirked. His grin soon turned sinister. "It's funny...you said the exact same thing during our last encounter."

Suddenly, everyone became still. Lyxus' eyes widened, as had the rest of Team RWBY. "Y-you..." Ruby stammered. "How do you know Lyxus?!"

Gehenna ignored her, and continued to look at Lyxus with a leer. "You know, I really gotta ask...you loved by someone upstairs or something, kid?" he asked, flipping a knife around in his hand. "Not only did you survive that little love bite on your neck I gave you...but you look the same as you did back then." Unconsciously, Lyxus pressed a hand to the scar on his neck, feeling a small jolt of pain from it upon contact. It felt as if his wound reopened for a brief second. But the rest of what the man said confused him. Same as back then...? What was he talking about? "Your a strange one, Animus..." Gehenna said with mirth and malevolence before cradling the knife in his hand with a malicious grin. "Although...I suppose it's fate at work. After all...I can finish what I started all those years ago!"

He flipped his knife into his combative grip and lunged forward. Lyxus readied himself, but the mans words lingered in his mind. All those years ago...? Was this man responsible for his missing memories?

"Lyx!"

The amnesiac snapped out of his thoughts and brought his blades up to stop the enemy's daggers inches from his neck.

"Khe!"

"Looks like you still got good reflexes!" Gehenna cackled. "Wonderful! It's going to make killing you more satisfying!" The heterochromatic psycho donned a demented, bloodthirsty grin.

Lyxus grunted as the man retreated, only to swing wildly at him again. The two were lacked in the heat of combat, one knocking away at the other, trying to get at their weakpoints. "Hold on, Lyx!" Yang shouted. "We're coming!"

The amnesiac could only nod in response as he tried to withstand the foes assault. Unfortunately, before any of the girls of Team RWBY arrived, new opposition stood before them...in the form of familiar white and black attire with Grimm masks on the upper portion of their faces. Weiss recognized them immediately, and growled. "The White Fang..." she said with venom in her voice. "So you were cooperating with that monster!"

"...trust me, Schnee," a voice spoke from behind the Faunus terrorists. "If it were up to me, I'd be acting on my own."

Blake felt the hairs on the back of Ed neck stand up. She knew that voice. Why? Of all people...HE had to be here?!

The crowd of Faunus stepped back. A new figure stepped forward. It was a young man, around his late teens to early twenties. He had red hair spiked backwards in a windswept fashion, the upper half of his face concealed by a half Grimm mask. He was garbed in a pair of black pants, black shoes with red soles, and a red dress shirt. Over the shirt was a black trench coat with a red interior and slit sleeves. A large emblem was on the back of his coat, depicting a white tulip design covered by a red rose design. In his hand was a sword, held in place by a black sheathe.

"Adam..."

The red-haired Faunus smirked slightly. "Hey, Blake...it's been a while."

Weiss looked back at her teammate in shock. "W-wait, you know him?!"

Blake didn't meet her eyes. She couldn't. The shame was far too much. "...his name is Adam Taurus," she stated, glaring back at her former comrade. "He's one of the leaders of the White Fang."

This revelation stunned everyone within the vicinity. But Lyxus was unfamiliar with what the White Fang were, so he wasn't as perturbed.

"We have..." Adam said slowly as he drew his sword from it's sheathe. "...a bit of history, Blake and I."

"Well whatever history you lovebirds have..." Gehenna deadpanned. "It can wait!" The red head scowled from the psychopaths interruption. "I mean, we're kinda in he middle of something here! People to kill, ya know?!" Lyxus used the moment to take the fight to his advantage. He parried Gehenna's attack, and delivered a roundhouse kick to his chest, knocking him back. "Oof! Damn...playing dirty now, are we...?"

"Says the homicidal maniac!" Lyxus snapped back.

"Hehe...touché."

Adam snorted. "Having trouble with a human, Gehenna?"

"Oi," Gehenna said as he looked at Adam with a wicked grin. "This ain't no human...he's a bonafide demon under that skin."

"Really now..." The red death gave Lyxus an once over. He soon shook his head in disappointment. "While I admit he seems to have skill with a blade, he doesn't really seem much."

"Well, if you wanna see what he looks like underneath that puppy dog face of his," Gehenna smirked, turning to Teams RWBY and CFVY. "All you gotta do...is put a bit of pressure on him~"

He then turned and chucked one of his daggers at RUby, who was still surprised by this revelation. "...Like so!"

"RUBY!" Yang shouted. WBY moved in to defend their leader, but each was met with opposition. Weiss was halted by several members of the White Fang, with a gigantic man carrying a sawblade in his grasp at the forefront. Blake was halted by Adam himself, who clashed Wilt against her Gambal Shroud. Yang had reached Ruby in time, but the blade had struck in the shoulder. She let out a cry of pain, falling to the ground with Ruby in her arms. "S-shit!" she cursed, glaring down at the knife in shoulder. "W-what the hell?! Why didn't my Aura...?"

Weiss eyes went wide, her face losing color. "N-no...an Aura-piercing blade?!" she cried in disbelief. "H-how?!"

"All it takes is a little bit of work!" Gehenna mocked her. Lyxus, however, stared at Yang with large eyes, as if he couldn't believe what had happened. "So, Lyxy-boy...feel up for a brawl? For old time's sake?"

The amnesiac didn't respond. His entire body was frozen in disbelief. His friend...his friend was hurt...Gehenna...spilled her blood...

 _"Lyx! Get ***** out of here! She's hurt!"_

 _"****, what about you?!"_

 _"Never mind me, ***! Look after ******! She and Lyx are the best chance we got!"_

 _"But...I can't leave you guys!"_

 _"Lyxus, you have to! Just leave this to me! Just protect ****** and *****"_

 _"You can't be serious, ****!"_

 _"This ain't no time to argue, kid! Just-"_

 _"****?! *R*W!"_

Lyxus' hand twitched. His right eye began to burn in irritation.

"Guh..." He pressed a hand to his burning eye. It felt as if it was on fire. "Gragh...GRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Gehenna smirked. "Alright~! Now we're getting somewhere!"

 **[RWBY OST - This Will Be The Day]**

Light leaked through Lyxus's clenched hand on his face. It flickered erratically before it bled out in a torrent of light. CFVY was growing disturbed as they tried to help Team RWBY, defending them from the White Fang. The light was dark red, almost bloody even. What was happening? Was this his Semblance?

Gehenna then launched forward, knives in hand. He flicked them into the normal position, and swung with the intent of cutting flesh.

Instead, it hit shadows. "What?!" Gehenna shouted in surprise. His question left unanswered as he felt a hand grab him by the skull before his face was slammed into the ground. The earth cracked from the impact. Through the gaps of digits, he found Lyxus glaring back at him, his red right eye glowing with an unearthly light. A black aura had begun to surround him.

However, that wasn't what made Gehenna grin like a madman.

"Yes...YES! This is what I was waiting for! Show me more you demon! Show me what you are capable of from all those years ago!"

Lyxus said nothing. The murderous intent behind his glare said it all.

"...shut the hell up."

He picked up the head before slamming it back down with added force. He then brought up the body before swinging it over head and bashed it to the ground. Then he brought up his sword and stabbed Gehenna in the throat.

"Khe-!" The madman was now pinned to the ground, but Lyxus wasn't about to leave him like that. He brought out his other blade and stabbed him in the chest. Then he pulled his blades along the body to slice him to ribbons. Gehenna merely laughed, even as his blood was splayed all across the ground. Eventually, Lyxus stopped his assault, and raised them above his head with the intent of stabbing his head. However, the odd-eyed maniac surprised him by grabbing both blades with his bare hands, and pulling himself forward. "Aaaaah~ I remember this pain~!"

He pulled himself up, and rammed both of his feet at his opponent's face, throwing Lyxus aside. He sidded across the ground before coming up a stop, glaring up at Gehenna who had a demented smile of pleasure on his face. As he stared back at Lyxus, the wounds on his body began to heal, and the blood on the ground began to move back into him, flowing into the air and back into the wounds. Team CFVY, needless to say, was horrified and shocked by what they had seen.

In a span of seconds, Lyxus had looked as if he had just outright slaughtered the maniac, but showed himself to be healing at a rate that no amount of Aura could repair. They weren't sure what disturbed them more; that, or the black aura and glowing eye the male member of Team RWBAY had.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!" the madman cackled, rearing his head back. "Oh yes, this is the one thing I have missed! The terror, the power behind you! You know, this really brings back memories! This situation was just like back then, wasn't it?!"

"...shut up." Lyxus murmured again before disappearing and reappearing behind Gehenna. Memories? Back then? None of that really mattered to him at this point. All he knew as that this man spilled the blood of his friend...and blood shall be paid for with blood!

And so two monsters clashed once more.

* * *

"This is one hell of a reunion, wouldn't you agree, Blake?" Adam questioned as he cradled Wilt and Blush in his grip.

Blake stared back at Adam with shameful, yet steely eyes. They had parted when they clashed after Blake had tried to get to Ruby, but the tension between them was still present. She could practically feel the quiet fury beneath that mask of his, but remained calm beneath the threat of the foe before her. In truth, she was nervous, and for good reason. Adam Taurus was hardly the run-off-the-mill opponent you would expect to fight. No, he was stronger than anyone she could think of.

Power, speed, brutality, ferocity...you would find no greater opponent than he.

And that was why she was terrified out of her mind. Everyone here didn't know what he was capable of. Everyone here knew nothing about his strength and rage. Everyone here wouldn't stand a chance against him, unless they had banded together. Unfortunately, the White Fang had taken greatly to the strategy, 'divide and conquer.' Yang, injured as she was, was taking on several members all at once with Ruby. Weiss was fighting a few members led by the Lieutenant. Lyxus was fighting Gehenna. Team CFVY was trying to get to them, but the bulk of members present was staggering. It had truly become a battlefield.

"...seems like it," she said quietly. However, soon, her eyes narrowed. "What's going on here, Adam? Why is the White Fang cooperating with a human?"

The Bull Faunus laughed darkly. "What?" he questioned. "After all this time, you still care for the brothers and sisters you abandoned? Betrayed?"

"Don't dodge the issue, Adam!" she shouted. "I know you! And I know Sierra would never agree to work with a human! Especially someone like THAT!"

"...you don't know anything..." He shook his head.

Blake gritted her teeth. Of course she didn't know. She chose to leave on her own volition after all...but that didn't mean she didn't care. "I haven't betrayed the White Fang, Adam," she stated, glaring at him. "I'm just doing what I think is best for us...for the White Fang. I can't agree with what we're doing anymore."

Adam remained silent.

"Can't you see?" she pleaded with him. "All of this? This death? Violence? Adam, if you and Sierra keep leading the White Fang down this path, then humanity will always see us as monsters."

"...and you think your path is better?"

"I won't know unless I try," Blake answered. "That's why I left..." Her eyes softened. For a moment, she felt her heart ache. "...and that's why I asked you to come with me."

Adam tilted his head downwards as he recalled that day. Right before Blake left, she asked him to come with her. If he had responded, then maybe things would've turned out differently. But instead, he chose to remain silent. She saw his lack of action as refusal. After that, she cut all ties from him. The grip on his sword tightened. "...Blake," he called out. "Would you consider...coming up?" Blake's eyes widened. "It isn't too late...Sierra and I both know your value to us..."

"Adam..."

There was a pregnant silence between them. No one had any answer to the other. Eventually, the Bull Faunus sighed heavily. Wordlessly, he drew Wilt.

Blake, likewise, fell into her stance.

"So...this is how it must be..."

* * *

Weiss was definitely not in a good mood as of now. What originally started out as assisting a senior team with their mission turned out to be an all out fight against a psychopath who murdered every single resident of the village they were sent to protect and a battle against the White Fang!

The last one she definitely wasn't happy about. For as long as she could remember, the White Fang had made her life hell.

It was because of them that family members and close friends end up being found dead and buried six feet under. Thanks to that, her childhood had been...less than pleasant. Now, here they stood before her. Her eyes narrowed in disgust, and her weapon at the ready. "Hehe...finally...I get to kill a Schnee..." the one in front, the one holding the massive chainsaw blade, chuckled darkly.

The white-haired girl scowled, and prepared herself. She wasn't about to lose to scum like them. They were all monsters, murderers, liars, thieves, scum of the highest order.

And she was going to take great pleasure in taking down each and every one of them.

* * *

 _'Damn does my arm hurt...'_ Yang thought as she dodged an attack from one of the White Fang, ducking underneath the swing of his sword before delivering an uppercut, following a right hook that sent him staggering back. _'Not only that, I have to deal with a crowd full of guys...ugh, this mission went to hell in a hand basket real fast!'_

Just when they thought it would be a relatively simple mission...now they are in a fight with their lives on the line. Another grunt attacked from behind the Brawler, but Ruby intervened and sniped him down. "Yang, you okay?!"

"I'm fine! Thanks for the save, Rubes!"

The silver-eyed girl nodded in return, and then the sisters returned to the fold. Ruby switched Crescent Rose to its scythe form and stabbed the blade into the ground. She then jumped up and spun around using her weapon as the axis, kicking away the White Fang grunts around her.

Yang jumped back from one of the grunts with a giant axe. Once she landed away, she parried an attack from her side, and gave a swift jab to the solar plexus, following it was a point-blank shot to the face with her Ember Celica. She then let off two more rounds, this time at the grunt with the axe that tried to cut her down earlier, throwing him to the floor.

She winced in pain from her injured shoulder, but she endured it and continued to fight.

"Lyx, I hope your doin' okay..."

* * *

When Team CFVY had finally dealt with the rest of their fair share of White Fang grunts, they found that Gehenna was laughing madly, likely ever since Lyxus' change, and the heterochromatic teen was still striking away like a berserker hell bent on destroying him. "Excellent...! Excellent, excellent, EXCELLEEEEEEENT! You are doing an excellent job, boy! Show me more! More of that rage! More of that power! Unleash your inner Demon!"

"SHUT UP!" Lyxus roared as his aura flared even more. The black aura around him grew thicker as he continued to lash out at Gehenna. The maniac had created a great deal of distance between them, though Lyxus had closed the gap instantly. Behind him was a trail of black rose petals, followed by a silver gleam that trailed behind him. In a second, he was behind Gehenna. In another second, blood gushed from his body. His laughter was still heard, as the guyser of blood simply flowed back into him, and the wound closing.

"Nice...you show more and more of your abilities with each passing moment..."

"Oi! Asshat!" Coco shouted. "You forgetting someone?!"

The psychopath clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning around...just to face the muzzle of the gatling gun right in his face. "...Oh right...I forgot about you ants..."

Coco glared at him, and pulled the trigger. The maniac grinned as he took the bullets to the face before jumping out of the line of fire. Fox and Daichi charged in, as Velvet stood next to Coco. Again, blue lines began to dance around her palms before forming into a familiar shape. Instead of the sword that Yatsuhashi wielded, she was carrying Coco's gattling gun. Lyxus ignored them, and instead charged after him, completely focused on Gehenna and slaughtering him like a pig. He rushed in with a stream of black petals like before. Gehenna smirked and swung his daggers in a motion to decapitate him. Once the boy was close enough...the man succeeded in beheading the figure...only to furrow his brow upon noticing the one he decapitated was nothing more than a shadow.

"Oh, for the love of-!" Yatsuhashi and Lyxus struck at the same time. The giant blade ripped across his chest, and the twin blades slashed at his arms. "Gragh! Dammit! Fuck!" Gehenna seethed in pain. The twin blade cut so deep that they nearly severed his limbs. They were now hanging onto his body through small sinews of flesh. Fox came up from behind, and struck, carving an x-shaped scar into his back. The three boys leaped back when the girls decided to let loose with the bullets. The man winced as he felt the blade cut pretty deep into his back, just about nicking a vertebrae. He had to dance wildly to avoid becoming swiss cheese.

"It seems your beginning to wear thin," Yatsuhashi noted once the skirmish came to an end for a time. "Now I understand your Semblance more clearly...you can heal your wounds at a rapid rate, almost instantaneous...almost as if you could reverse the time inflicted upon you."

"Ha...Ha...Heh...well whaddaya know...? Give the boy a prize!" Gehenna snickered.

Lyxus' eyes narrowed. For a moment, light flickered in his left eye as well. "It doesn't matter," he said in a low growl. "I'll kill you all the same. Besides, if the slowed pace if your regeneration is anything, your wearing out."

"Ah, don't bet on it, kiddo!" the man wagged a finger at him. "This is just a way to pass the time...you see, I wasn't really supposed to kill all the people in the settlement. It was just to have fun!" Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing this. Lyxus' rage grew ever more. "Besides, really, when you think about it, does life really have value at all? They say the life of a living thing is more valuable than anything else, but given the right motivation...the price suddenly becomes negotiable. Humans and Faunus are no different from one another. Sure, one looks like an animal, and the other a meatbag, but when you get down to it...it's all the same!"

Gehenna smirked, looking at Lyxus. "Don't you think so too...demon?"

"I...do not!" He roared as he rushed forward in a burst of black petals again. He kicked himself up into the air and twisted his body into a spiral with his blades facing forward. The momentum from his sprint was used to make him appear to be a spinning black blur aimed to drill through Gehenna. As soon as he was in close, Gehenna jumped over the swirling petals-

"...got you!"

-and found himself promptly impaled by Lyxus' blades, which pierced straight through his chest. "Ghrk?!" His eyes widened in disbelief. How had he been impaled? There was no way he could have...

As the petals faded away and dispersed, he then saw it clearly...a black rotating glyph, right at his hands.

"tch...damn...so...so you managed to get...more semblances...at your disposal...even the Schnees..."

Lyxus ignored him. A glyph danced beneath his foot as he propelled himself forward, grabbing the blades by the handles, and proceeded to tear through the muscles and bones, carving straight out through his shoulders. With a swift kick, Gehenna was thrown aside, tumbling through the ground. The man rolled onto the stony earth and coughed up globs of blood. His arms, or whatever was left of them, hung lifelessly at his sides. Slowly, the damaged flesh began to repair itself, and rose to his feet. A grimace, yet a grin, spread on his mug as he looked up at the group.

"Wooo..." He huffed. "Now THAT shook me...I haven't seen you this vicious in quite a while...and I love it! It's even better than back then all those decades ago..."

For the briefest moment, Lyxus paused. The black aura around him waned. "...decades ago?"

"Yes..." Gehenna nodded while grinning. "It's been a while since we last saw one another."

"Lyxus..." Velvet looked at him with concern. She was greatly frightened by the level of brutality he had shown. It was a complete opposite of the young teen she had gotten to know a short while ago. "How do you know this person?"

Gehenna chuckled. "You know, I'm kind of surprised, Lyxy-boy," he said tauntingly. "Seeing you with those two girls...ah, brings back memories. Although, blondie's not like her mother. She doesn't have that...edge to her. And red riding hood?" He threw his head back, laughing. "Just as hopeless as her mom...and just as likely to die, if HE ever finds her~"

"Who..." Gehenna raised an eyebrow, as he saw that Lyxus' hate had slowly dissolving. "...are you? And how do you know so much about me?"

The man stared at the boy with wide eyes. For a moment, he didn't say anything. "...heh...heheh..." A few soft chuckled escaped past his lips before they steadily increased to guffaws, then eventaully to full blown psychotic laughter. "H-hahahahahahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The teams grew perturbed at the mans sudden change in behavior. Just what was so funny to him? What did he have to do with Lyxus? Eventually, his laughter died down. "Hahaha...heeheehee...hoo...oh man..." He wipes tear from his eye.

Coco glared even harder at him. "What the hell's so funny, ya freak?!"

"It's this...it's this entire revelation that is fucking hilarious..." He chuckled. "How I know him he says...what a riot! He really doesn't remember!"

"Remember what?!" Lyxus shouted. "Dammit all, make sense!"

"Hahahahaha! Fine, if you really wanna know, you-!"

Before he could finish, Lyxus' senses flared. His eyes widened when he looked over to his side, and found a large chunk of debris, easily the size of a boulder, heading straight for them.

"SCATTER!"

His comrades reacted to his quick order as they all fled from the point of impact. The debris impacted the ground, breaking it apart. When the dust settled, a large crater was in its place. And in that crater was a single individual. It was a muscular man with brown short hair, a beard and hazel eyes. He wore a gray and brown coat with yellow buttons and linings on it, and a large belt. His arms were hairy and appeared to have some scars on both arms near his sleeves. He also wore brown boots and black pants. Gehenna seemed to recognize him, and grinned cheerily. "Heeeeeey, Hazel old buddy~ How's it hangin'?"

"Gehenna...still the trickster as ever I see..." The man responded with a gruff, deep voice.

The man shrugged. "What can I say?" he said cheekily. "It's just who I am~ So what's the deal, old man? The old bag wouldn't call you out here just for kicks."

"...you took too long," the one called Hazel said, narrowing his eyes. "Your orders were to retrieve the artifact. Instead, you wasted your time slaughtering the denizens."

"You know what they say, old man...all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!"

"This was not an assignment to amuse yourself. The mistress specifically ordered you to follow orders down to the letter. You were supposed to retrieve the artifact and return as quickly as possible. The mistress is most cross with you..."

"Pft...always the killjoy..." Gehenna huffed.

"She had half a mind to leave your fate up to Nemo." Hazel added. This statement made the psychopath pause.

"...well, that's worrying."

"Hey!" Lyxus shouted. Hazel turned to face him, while Gehenna looked on with interest. "Who the hell are you people?! And you!" he glared at Gehenna. "Tell me! How the hell do you know me?!"

Hazel stared at the boy with intent, noticing the color of his left eye. "A one-eyed so;ver..." he murmured, glancing back at Gehenna. "Just like you."

"Oh, he's a lot more than that, old timer," the maniac grinned. "He's the demon I was talking about."

"Really now..." Hazel raised a brow in intrigue. "...You may have just saved yourself...this time..."

"What? Can't I have a little fun?" Gehenna pouted before chuckling. "Sadly, seems like he's gone and forgotten about poor little o' me~"

"I'm talking to you, psycho!"

Hazel shook his head. "Enough, Gehenna...it's time to go."

"Aw, really?" the maniac sighed. "Fiiiiiine."

"Wait!" Lyxus roared as he moved to stop them.

Hazel, however, was quicker. He brought up his fist, and struck straight forward down at the ground. The earth tremored as a cloud of debris was kicked up into the air. Lyxus stumbled but so tinted forth, never intending on letting them escape. A glyph danced around his feet as he spun around, swinging his blade. The power behind the swing blew the cloud of dust away.

The two were gone.

There was not even a trace of them. Lyxus grew angrier with each passing second. He found someone who had a key to his past...and he just let him slip through his fingers! "...Dammit all!"

Team CFVY stared at him with worried glances. They could understand his frustration, not knowing his past, and having someone know something about you that you didn't...but they were still disturbed by what they had seen. His abilities, his brutality...it was beyond anything they had seen. They watched him use three different Semblances, which should have been impossible. After all, people could only possess a single Semblance.

"Lyx..." Coco frowned, but then her attention soon became directed to the battlefield where Team RWBY was at. "Uh...guys?"

The rest of her team followed her line of sight and immediately understood. Team RWBY was still locked in combat with the White Fang and they needed help pronto. Lyxus immediately forgot about Gehenna and the one called Hazel. His past could wait. Right now...he had to save his friends.

* * *

"...yo!" Gehenna announced as he and Hazel entered the domain. "The psycho badass...has arrived!"

Three pairs of eyes looked up from whatever they were doing and turned toward the entrance. The expressions on each occupants face varied drastically.

The first was a man with short black and gray hair. He had a mustache and green eyes, and wore a dark blue overcoat with yellow linings, with a yellow-buttoned black undercoat, yellow blouse, a black necktie and brown fingerless gloves. His face was that of annoyance, eyes narrowed in disgust.

The second was a pale man with a brown braided ponytail and gold eyes. He wore a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it along with white pants. His jacket was left open, exposing his bare chest, which was criss-crossed with prominent scars. His arms were covered with purple bandages and leather vambraces. He also wore leather boots covering his entire shin with knee guards. He sported a delighted grin, eyes dancing with madness.

The third was a young woman with long black hair draped over her shoulder. She wore a short red, long sleeved dress with gold highlights with the back open, revealing a tattoo of a half of a heart symbol. Attached to her hip was a blue feathered ornament. Her amber eyes were narrowed into a glare of annoyance, yet her face remained neutral.

"Welcome back, Gen~" the braided man cheered. "Did you have a nice slaughter?"

Gehenna grinned back at the man. "Ah, you should have been there, Tyrian...it was a work of art!"

"Hmph," the well-dressed man snorted. "I see your still as uncouth as ever...why she let you retrieve the artifact is beyond my comprehension."

"Nice to see you, too, Watts." the maniac rolled his eyes before turning to the other occupant. "Eh? Cinder? Why are you here?"

"Because I asked her too, Gehenna," a voice spoke from behind him.

The man turned, and his smirk turned feral. Those at the table rose, bowing their heads in respect, as had Hazel who stood beside the maniac.

Entering to room were two figures. The one in front was a woman with a timeless appearance. Her complexion was deathly white, even whiter than her hair, which was formed into a bun with six offshoots from which black ornaments were suspended from. Her skin was covered in tortuous, deep red and purple veins that run up her arms and face. The sclerae of her eyes were jet black and her irises glowed red. A black, diamond shaped marking was seen on the center of her forehead. She was clad in a very long black robe with red designs resembling eyes. A ring resembling a bug was seen on her right index finger.

The figure behind her was male, given his physique. His left arm was covered entirely in white bandages while his right hand was encased in a dark silver gauntlet. He was garbed in a dark gray overcoat with a collar and what appeared to be a cloak of black feathers fashioned to vaguely resemble the wings of a Nevermore draped over his shoulders. A leather strap stretched from his right shoulder down to his left hip which was connected to a leather belt with pouches and a holster for the pistol he carries. His legs were covered in black leggings covered in dark silver armor. His head was encased in a dark silver helmet that more ornate markings on the surface. The back of the head was open, revealing a mess of stark white hair on the male's head. Underneath the cloak of feathers lay his weapons of choice attached to both of his hips. On his left hip was a silver saber and a blood-tinged katana while on the right hip was a dark silver dagger and ornately crafted pistol. Strapped to his back was a one-handed claymore.

"Mistress," Hazel greeted with respect. "We have retrieved the artifact as you requested," he shot Gehenna a small glare. "Though we would have brought it sooner, had Gehenna not chosen to...partake in his usual activities."

"Say what you will, old timer," the maniac stuck a tongue at him. "I had quite the time of my life..."

The unearthly woman gave Gehenna a sharp look. "...must I remind you, Gehenna Ragnarok, that you are easily expendable?" she stated with a hint of danger in her voice. "Do not forget, you can be replaced."

"And I wouldn't mind," Gehenna replied with a wide grin. "After all, chaos is the one true glory in this world. If I die, knowing I have spread chaos to this world...I shall be a happy man. Although, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't be disappointed in seeing what sort of chaos I could bring in whatever you have in mind, Salem."

"If you wish to see the that particular sight, then I suggest you behave and obey from now on. While our plans are following our desired course, we cannot take the risk of error due to incompetence. That not only applies to you, Ragnarok, but to all of you as well. Fail to adhere to my words then..." She gestured to the figure behind her. "...I shall let Nemo decide your fates. Make no mistake. He will not be so lenient."

Watts bowed his head. "We understand, milady," he replied before looking to the figure called Nemo. "Speaking of Sir Nemo...has the matter been dealt with."

"That's a rather foolish question to ask, don't you think, Watts?" Cinder smirked. "After all, he is Salem's most valuable warrior."

Tyrian laughed once more. "He's more ruthless than me and Gen~"

"Speaking of ruthless..." Gehenna said as he stood next to the table, leaning against it. "When I was doing my fun time...I ran into an old familiar face." This earned a few looks, though Hazel, for his part, having been there to see the boy himself, simply looked uninterested. "You wouldn't believe who's still alive after all of these years!"

"...get to the point, Ragnarok," Nemo spoke, his tone cold and sharp like the edge of a steely blade.

"Okay, okay~" The psychopath held his arms up in a placating manner. "The one I fought at now burning remains of that pathetic settlement on the outskirts of Vale...is none other than the thorn in our side from over twenty years ago, Lyxus Animus."

 **-Chapter...END-**

 _ **Next Time: One-Eyed Silver (II) - Bleached Past**_

* * *

 **First of all...I am so sorry for how late this chapter is. I recently just got out of depression, and have been helping out my friends with their stories. Good news is, for those who remain faithful to this story, I am back, and I am ready to kick ass once again!  
**

 **Anyway, I just saw Volume 4, and daaaaaaamn I LOVE it so far! Our characters have begun their respective journeys, and the dark forces behind the scenes are beginning to plan out their agenda. I cannot wait to see what RoosterTeeth has in store! But, moving on to the story itself, with the introduction of Salem's "Evil Round Table," this chapter had to be changed slightly. In case some of you don't know, Hazel, Watts, and Tyrian are the new characters introduced in Volume 4, while Nemo is an OC made by my co-writer, Code-Emperor07. And you all got to see the brutal fight between Lyxus and Gehenna, the OC that was shown off at the end of last chapter.**

 **ALSO! I shall announce the winner of the poll regarding Lyxus' love interest!**

 **UNSURPRISINGLY...it's the girls of Team RWBY, and Cinder Fall! Five girls in all! Lyxus, you lucky bastard! Although...I have to admit, I'm worried how I'm gonna accomplish that. It won't be like the cheesy anime stuff where the girls fall in love with him automatically and the protagonist either has feelings for one girl or just flat out accepts the feelings of the other girls. No, I want Lyxus to fall for these girls, and they in turn, in the most natural way possible. To that end, I'm doing four original arcs, two of which will take place between Volumes 1 and 2, and the remaining two arcs between Volumes 2 and 3. Each Arc will cover one of the girls from Team RWBY, while Lyxus' relationship with Cinder will build up over time. Given how Volume 4 has Cinder now...chances are, I may have an idea on how to get her to join the "harem"~**

 **On another note, let me explain Lyxus' Semblance. His Semblance is called "mimicry," in that he can copy any Semblance. This doesn't mean he's overpowered. No, far from it. In order to copy a Semblance, he needs to have a basic understanding, and the mechanics. He was able to understand the concepts behind Ruby, Weiss, and Blake's Semblances, hence why he was able to use them. Given time, he'll understand the concept and mechanics of Yang's Semblance, as well as other characters. This of course means he can be one tough customer...but the problem is that he can only use ONE SEMBLANCE AT A TIME. He cannot use multiple Semblances repeatedly. Also, regarding the black aura around him, that's something relating to his character, so you'll have to wait.**

 **One final thing before I go...I'll be posting a new RWBY story soon. It's an AU story on the events of RWBY, along with a mature, darker retelling of the story...oh, and the pairings are WhiteRose and BumbleBee, in case anyone's wondering~**

Well, that's it for my advertisement! Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please tell me in your reviews!

 **Demons Anarchy of Pride, OUT!**


	6. Chapter 4

_RWBY: Colorless Memories_

* * *

 **Opening Theme: Hey Kids! by Amanda Lee**

 _"TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE HERO!"_

 _[Instrumental]_

 _Tonight, they'll don their masks – the kids that tear it down_

 _And all these scheming lies will soon evoke the end_

 _Turn up the temperature, entice that golden taste_

 _Give it some FLAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR_

 _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_

 _Return to the yesterday we cast away,_

 _The scene will overflow_

 _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_

 _We'll overrun the point of no return, I know_

 _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_

 _Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego_

 _"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"_

 _Call out to me, come on, again and again_

 _"YOU KNOW? I'M REALLY TIRED OF YOUR PISS-POOR ATTITUDE_

 _MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY_

 _SHOW ME SOME RESPECT, JEEZ!_

 _DO YOU - DO YOU HAVE ANY?!_

 _IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF_

 _I SWEAR YOU DO IT TO PISS ME OFF!_

 _TSK, WHAT A SHAME_

 _YOU DO DON'T YOU?!"_

 _[Instrumental]_

 _Just wanna hold your hand_

 _Just wanna hold your hand_

 _Just wanna hold your hand_

 _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_

 _Return to the yesterday we cast away,_

 _The scene will overflow_

 _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_

 _We'll overrun the point of no return, I know_

 _"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"_

 _Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego_

 _"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"_

 _Call out to me, come on, again and again_

 _Whoa-ooo-oooh_

 _Just wanna hold your haaaaaaand!_

 _NOW SWEAR TO RESPECT THE HERO!_

 _[Instrumental]_

* * *

Volume I: Remnant's of the Past Forgotten

* * *

Chapter 4: One-Eyed Silver (II) - Bleached Past

"You've gotten soft, my love." Blake bit the inside of her cheek as she evaded a stroke of the katana of her former partner, parrying the second strike and retaliating with a roundhouse strike. The sheath defended against it, sparks flying between their faces before they parted, only to clash again. "You've grown weak."

The raven haired girl remained silent, doing her best to tune his words out. She was not weak...she was not a monster...not like the person before her. She broke off their clash again and she backflip led away to gain some distance. She shifted Gambol Shroud to its ranged mode and pulled the trigger. Adam defended against the bullets using Wilt, the red blade easily cutting through the projectiles.

Adam quickly closed the distance between them, quickly slipping Wilt back in his sheath before striking with Blush. Blake's Semblance defended her, a black shadow taking the blow while she retreated, shooting off more rounds, with the Bull Faunus evaded with ease before flipping Blush around and pulling the trigger. However, rather than a bullet, Wilt was blasted out of its sheath, striking Blake in the chest and knocking her back, stunned. Adam then closed the distance again, grabbing Wilt and delivering an upper slash, powerful enough to kick up the dirt around them. The blow also sent Blake hurling through the air.

Her aura had taken a significant hit from the strike, but she quickly reoriented herself and landed on her feet, skidding a few meters back. She breathed heavily, as she was doing all she could to keep up with her former partner. Eventually, she would become overwhelmed once her stamina ran out...and then...

'No,' she thought, tightening the grip on Gambol Shroud. 'I won't let that happen.'

She refused to fall here. She refused to let the White Fang win. She refused to simply let them go after killing all of those villagers! Blake went forward once more, charging at Adam who fell into a combat stance, once more sheathing Wilt into Blush. At that point, she knew what was coming. She had seen it first hand, after all. However, upon anticipating what was about to happen, she acted quickly.

She continued to rush in, prepared for what was about to happen. Once she was within range, Adam unsheathed Wilt from Blush.

"Its over!"

Blake narrowed her eyes. As the glowing blade was drawing closer, she tossed the Dust into the line of fire, activating her Semblance at the same time. As a black shadow began to pull forward while she began to retreat, Adam's eyes widened beneath the mask, seeing the color of the Dust crystal. It was dark purple. Recognizing it what it was, he realized too late. His blade was already drawn.

The moment his blade struck the Dust crystal, he found himself being thrown away, along with every other object in the vacinity, courtesy of a black wave that exploded from the Dust. Blake was no different, except she was thrown into the air.

She remained airborne for a few seconds before crashing back to the ground in a roll, the remainder of her aura diminished from the blast. As she clambered to her feet, gritting her teeth, Adam propped himself up from the ground. To Blake's disappointment, she found the scrapes on his body healing, meaning that his Aura had not diminished. "You...really are stubborn," he got out, rising to his feet, holding Wilt in one hand and Blush in the other. "You know that, my love? Can't you see how this hurts me?"

"Hurts you?" Blake growled. "You killed innocent people! You cooperated with a MADMAN!"

"So what?!" Adam snapped back at her. "You think I wanted to work with a monster like Gehenna?!"

"So says the monster in front of me!" She retorted, then realized what he was saying...

"Oh, my love...you have no idea what you're talking about. Compared to me...Gehenna is much, much worse..." He shook his head.

"So what?!" Adam snapped back at her. "You think I wanted to work with a monster like Gehenna?!"

"So says the monster in front of me!" She retorted, then realized what he was saying...

"Oh, my love...you have no idea what you're talking about. Compared to me...Gehenna is much, much worse..." He shook his head.

As much as she wanted to deny those words and hold him responsible...she knew he was right. The callous way he spoke of, the way he ruthlessly charged after then, the bloody edge he seemed to carry, that sickening smile on his face as he toyed with them. Compared to Adam, who became a monster because of the actions of humans constantly rejecting them, Gehenna...he was someone who became a monster willingly from what she saw. Someone who willingly commited these acts for his own benefit compared to Adam, who believed that he was doing what was best for the Fang.

But even so...no matter if he believes his actions are just...it does not excuse the atrocious acts he's committed. She will stop him here and now. With that in mind, she readied her sword. Adam just laughed. "C'mon now," he taunted. "You think you can stop me in your state, Blake?"

As much as she hated to admit it...he was right. She was out of aura, tired, and nearly out of ammo. But even still, she could not roll over and lose here. Just as she was about to retort, and black and white blur came in and smashed Adam to the ground.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Lyxus rammed his feet into Adam's face, performing a flying dropkick that sent the man flying. The Bull Faunus tumbled in the air before hitting the ground, landing on his back. He skidded a few meters before rolling back on his feet. However, just as he got up, he found a gatling gun aimed straight at him. "Alright Bull-head," Coco glared. "You got two choices. A: You and your crew lay down your weapons and surrender...or B: I pump you full of lead and Lyx here gets to cut you to ribbons. Take your pick."

Adam narrowed his eyes into a glare. "I choose neither, you human!"

"Alright, your funeral."

She pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Die Schnee!"

The White Fang Lieutenant roared as he swung the massive chainsaw blade.

As the blade descended upon her, the heiress casted a glyph beneath her feet, increased her speed and allowing her to swiftly side-step the attack, countering with three strokes of her own weapon, following it up with a black glyph in front of her. The Lieutenant was confused and readied another attack, but when Weiss thrusted her blade forward, he found himself being flung away, his back sliding through the dirt before coming to a stop.

Angrily, the man pulled himself up and revved up his chainsaw once more. He will NOT be made a fool of by a Schnee of all people!

Weiss readied herself as the White Fang Lieutenant readied for another clash, revving up his blade. The hulking figure charged in with his weapon raised. Weiss raised her arm and readied a glyph. However, just as he was about to leap up and strike her in the air with a lunging slash, he found his blade blocked by Yatsuhashi, the tall student standing his ground with feet firmly planted into the earth and his grip steady.

"You will not hurt my comrade any further!" The large teen growled as he stood his ground.

"Out of the way human! That bitch must die!"

With impressive strength, Yatsuhashi sent the Faunus back. The large man landed on his feet, slowing his retreat by stabbing his blade into the ground. As he recovered, Weiss joined the tall student's side. "Thanks for the save," she said, taking the moment to refill her weapon. "Has that maniac been dealt with?"

"He fled with another before we could apprehend him," Yatsuhashi informed. "Lyxus is helping Belladonna with their leader. Fox and Velvet are aiding your leader and Xiao Long."

"Good." Weiss nodded, relieved that her friends now had back up. But even still, it didn't mean that this battle was over.

After all, they still had to push back the White Fang. With that in mind, she twirled the chamber on Myrtenaster, switching the Dust to a ice type. Yatsuhashi held his gigantic sword with both hands, glaring at the Lieutenant with steely eyes. The Faunus commander let out a low growl as he readied himself for a clash as well, a few other White Fang grunts joining his side. "Last warning, boy."

"We've long past that point," came the response. Then the member of CFVY charged in, dragging his sword behind him with Weiss dashing behind him.

"Then die with the rest of them!" The Lietenant roared as he dragged his chainsaw blade behind him, tearing up the earth. He then raised it and brought it down, clashing against Yatsuhashis sword.

At that same time, the grunts rushed toward Weiss, leaping into the air with weapons at the ready. The heiress' eyes narrowed into a glare, glyphs forming around her.

* * *

The last time Yang had ever felt so weak was when she and her Uncle Qrow went at it for real: a right of passage to see if she was ready for what Beacon would have to offer. Despite her Semblance being at full blast, and her anger at peak condition when the drunkard had the unfortunate pleasure of cutting off a strand of her hair, she was still beaten black and blue until Sunday.

Now, she was reminded of that time as she and Ruby defended themselves from several White Fang grunts, striking one across the face and knocking away another with a roundhouse kick, followed up by a one-two punch. She winced, feeling the pain in her shoulder. 'Why is my Aura taking so long to heal this?!' she cried. She was aware that the knife was capable of piercing aura...but the wound should already be in the process of healing itself. 'Just what was in that knife?!'

"Yang, to your right!" Ruby cried. The brawler ducked underneath a swing from a machete, and countered with a straight, the power behind the punch increased by a shot from Ember Celica and throwing the grunt into two of his friends, thus knocking them to the ground. "You okay?!"

"Never been better!"

It wasn't a complete lie...but it was far from the truth. Her shoulder was still wounded and showed no signs of healing. She would need medical attention when this was over...which didn't seem near in the future. If she continues to fight, she will only aggravate the injury.

They needed to end this quick.

"SORRY ABOUT THIS!"

The two sisters blinked, seeing Velvet Scarlatina plow straight through the horde of grunts, a blue circuit outline of Yatsuhashi's sword in hand. Behind her, striking down several other grunts, was Fox, dancing in a red flurry of strikes. The nimble fighter of Team CFVY quickly dispatched the mob of grunts before regrouping with the sisters, Velvet soon joining him.

"Sorry we're late," Fox apologized. "Traffic was murder."

Yang rolled her eyes at his attempts to lighten the mood, but it was otherwise appreciated. "No worries," she said with a grin. "Not like the party ain't ending anytime soon. So, that nutjob Lyxy as fighting down and out yet?"

"He got away," Velvet answered. "Lyxus and Coco is backing up Blake. Yatsu is with Weiss." The Rabbit faunus looked around her in unease, gripping her phantom weapon tightly. "So many...c-can we really take on this many?"

Ruby opened the chamber of Crescent Rose, releasing her now empty clip and replacing it with a new one. "Won't know unless we try, right?"

"Well said, little sis," the blonde brawler giggled. She gave a small rub to her shoulder, trying to ease the wound before cocking her fists, prepping her gauntlets for a showdown with a bunch of thugs. "Now, let's bust us some skulls~"

* * *

In Salem's residence, the whole group of the woman's inner circle stared at Gehenna, who grinned wickedly as he leaned against the table, arms folded. A few seconds later, and Nemo let out a low growl, his hand going to grab the sword on his back. "...I believe you said you ended that nuisance," he said in a low voice. "And yet now you claim he is alive after twenty years...do you have a death wish for lying to us so brazenly, Ragnarok?"

"If it makes you feel any better man, I thought I killed the son of a bitch," Gehenna replied, not the least bit intimidated. "He's as tough as he ever was. Bastard learned a few new tricks...and the best part is, he doesn't look a day over seventeen! Seriously, I'm telling you, he's a motherfucking demon!"

"But how is that even possible?" Dr. Watts questioned. Even if he did survive, shouldn't he have aged by twenty years since then?"

"Beats me." The crazed man shrugged. "But I saw what I saw. Apparently, the little Demon doesn't even remember what happened back then. It's like he's a clean slate."

Tyrian laughed. "That's ironic!" he cackled. "Hey, how fun was he?"

"The most fun I've had in years!" Gehenna laughed. "He hasn't used his previous abilities since we last fought...but has picked up new ones!"

"Which makes him all the more dangerous," Hazel remarked with a frown. "I know nothing of this Lyxus Animus, but if he is as powerful as you claim...why has he not been eliminated already?"

"Oh, believe me Hazel...I tried. But after seeing the brat again after so long...I wanted to have some fun with him..."

"So you admit that you purposely spared that abomination?" Nemo glowered as he reached for his sword again.

"Well to be fair, I thought he was dead a long time ago." He shrugged.

"Hard to survive nearly having your neck cut off, you know! Apparently Ozzy put him on a new team," Gehenna smirked. "One I think you would personally find ironic, Nemo."

This caused the man to pause for a brief moment.

"What if I told you that the demon's new team just so happens to have the daughters of Summer Rose and Raven Branwen?"

The sound of wood splintering echoed within the room. Nemo's other hand, which was on the table, dug into the wooden surface, an oppressive aura surrounding him. "...what?" The words left his mouth in an angry growl.

"You deaf, man? I said, Branwen and Rose had kids! Hell, first time I saw them, I thought was I looking at their ghosts or something. Well, the Rose brat actually. Spittin' image of her whore mother." Nemo said nothing...his head tilted downward. However, if one could see closely, one could see his shoulders trembling. His fingers dug even deeper into the wood, scooping up several splinters within his clawed hands. "...damn your pissed," Gehenna remarked, cautiously taking a step back. Now, as much as he enjoyed messing around with everyone associated with Salem to get a rise out of them...Nemo was most definitely the last person he wanted to piss off. Namely because, Semblance be damned, the guy knew how to make you realize how deep in shit you were. "Yeesh."

Tyrian laughed. "I would be to," he said with a manic grin. "Say, why don't we just kill the brats? That Rose chick has the Silver-Eyes, right? Better to snip her in the bud before she blooms!"

"For once, I agree with Tyrian," Watts said, bobbing his head. "It is dangerous to allow a girl like that to roam free. Even if she is young, it won't be long before she awakens to her power. It would be best to eliminate all threats before they become too dangerous."

Salem took a moment to ponder this, cupping her chin. On one hand, the news of Lyxus Animus' mysterious survival was troubling enough, as was news that Summer Rose had a child. That woman had been a horrible thorn in her side for far too long, so she had her eliminated...but now that her child was alive, she was certainly thinking of the consequences. It would be best to have her eliminated. However, if she was a student at Beacon, it would be hard to do so, especially since she would be under Ozpin's watchful eye. The fool had learned his lesson, it seemed, after the death of Summer Rose and the near-successful capture of the Fall Maiden's powers.

On the other hand...

This...could be an excellent opportunity. Summer's child is young, so she may be easily impressionable. And if Lyxus Animus truly had lost his memories...then he is essentially a blank slate...a slate that can be rewritten in her favor. The risks were dangerous...but it could pay off. For now, however, she would regard them as threats for the time being. After all, they were apart of the same lineage that has caused her enough trouble.

"We will continue as planned," Salem announced. "For now, we will leave Lyxus Animus and Summer's offspring alone. Unless the situation changes, we'll ignore them for the time being." She then turned her attention to the black-haired woman who sat in silence. "Cinder, how close are you to moving on with the plan?"

"All that is left for me to do is to implant the virus Watts made into the CCT System," Cinder answered with a smile, crossing her legs. "At the rate Roman is going, it won't be long before we have enough Dust for when we set things in motion." She paused briefly before her face turned into concern. However...there is one thing that concerns me. It is Sienna Khan...ever since we took control of the White Fang, he has been...less than cooperative. It is best if we had good connections and relations with him, however, if he continues to be uncooperative...I may be forced to move my hand."

"Very well..." Salem nodded, pleased by her progress. Then she turned to Tyrian. "Tyrian, how goes the hunt for the Spring Maiden?"

he man gave an aggrevated sigh of annoyance. "No luck," he complained. "Either that idiot headmaster who's been causing you so much grief is hiding her somewhere, or she's very good at hide-and-seek."

"It is a possibility," Watts said, stroking his mustache. "Given what happened to the Fall Maiden. Perhaps it finally made Ozpin more cautious."

"In that case, Tyrian," the Witch said. "Suspend your search. You and Hazel will give Sienna Khan a...friendly visit."

Tyrian's eyes widened, elated with joy while Hazel grunted. Gehenna, meanwhile, pouted. "Really lady?" he asked in disappointment. "Tyr gets to have fun and I don't? Laaaame."

"No need to fret, Gehenna, because I have a special assignment in mind for you and Nemo..."

Gehenna quirked an eyebrow, curious. Nemo was just as curious about this assignment. His mistress never mentioned anything about it until now. However, the curious and dangerous smile she sported told him everything he needed to know.

* * *

As soon as Adam got close, Lyxus rammed the butts of his weapons together, locking them in place and parried his attack, blocking the next one. When the third strike came in, the odd-eyed teen maneuvered his body, twisting it around to gather momentum, dragging his interlocked twin blades behind him for a powerful swing.

The weight of his now single weapon gave more power in his attack, as the blade impacted Adams sword with enough force to push him back. Using this moment of opportunity. Lyxus separated his blades once more before delivering a series of quick strikes.

Adam barely had enough time to defend himself, and the quickness of his attacks were catching him off guard. His Aura was being depleted, little by little. Just as he managed to regain his tempo, countering Lyxus' overhead strike with Blush, he found the teen delivering a straight kick to his chest, knocking him back. As he got up, he suddenly found himself being pelted with bullets. "What?" Coco called. "Forgetting me, Bullhead?"

Adam cursed as the rain of bullets took out what little Aura he had left. He immediately ran from the girl's line of fire to re-strategize his approach. Just because he would no longer be able to properly defend himself did not mean he would flee as if he were some common coward.

He was no coward...not like Blake. He was a warrior! And he would not run until his opposition was dead!

The sound of feet rushing toward him caught his attention. Looking up, he found Lyxus flying in the air, directly above him with his swords at the ready. Below him, the glyph of the Schnee Family semblance danced. As he came down, he raised his blades high, as if making the motion to stab him. As soon as he passed through the glyph, gravity shot him down with great force. Cursing, he rolled out of the way, leaving the human to crash into the earth, cracking it apart with ease. Adam was soon back on his feet, however, readying himself for an assault. "So, you're a Schnee," he growled. "I should have known..."

Lyxus frowned as he stood, shaking off a bit of rubble. "Sorry, but I'm not related to Weiss," he said, eyes narrowed. "To be honest...I'm relying on instinct. Answer me! Why did you attack all of those people in the settlement?! What did they do to deserve this?!"

Adam was momentarily confused by his statement. Not a Schnee? Bullshit. Only a Schnee is capable of using the Glyph Semblance due to its hereditary nature. But even so, he decided to answer the boy's questions, if only to buy himself some time. "...It's not so much as what they did as much as what they had..."

"What?"

"It was a job we had," Adam answered smoothly. "Our...associate...wanted a specific item from the settlement, and the inhabitants weren't willing to give it up easily...so they gave us the okay to kill them all and pry it from their dead hands."

Coco's eyes widened beneath her shades. Lyxus froze, unable to comprehend the full weight of those words. "You have to be joking..."

"It was either that, or be slaughtered ourselves," the Bull Faunus said, smirking. "Not that it mattered...you humans are disgusting to look at it. Just looking at the two of you right now is enough to make me puke."

"You...murdered everyone..." Lyxus growled. "Because they were human?!"

"Exactly that!" Adam barked back. "You humans are absolute scum! Treating Faunus like they're slaves or monsters! All we ever wanted was equality...and what did you do? You spat on our chances and kicked us to the ground. Well no more!"

"...you've gotta be kidding me." Coco looked at Lyxus, who's body shook with rage. For a moment, she was worried that whatever happened back with Gehenna may repeat. She wasn't sure why, but the state he was in while he fought that psychopath was...unnerving, if not terrifying. When he raised his head, his eyes were bearing sharp daggers of livid fury. "You did all of this...for such a stupid reason as racism?!"

Now it was Adam's turn to feel enraged. "What did you just say?!"

"You think Faunus have it bad?!" the amnesiac cried. "You obviously don't know a damn thing about humans if you keep pointing labels! If anything, its you who's racist, you bull-horned bastard!"

"How dare you?!" Adam snarled at her. "You say I don't know them? I know PERFECTLY WELL! They are the ones who shun Faunus from getting jobs to support their families, constantly abuse them, and shove the majority of my race on a small island nation that is only a third inhabitable!"

"What's your point?!" Lyxus shouted back. Fed up, he charged at Adam, blades drawn. The two clashed, steel grinding against one another and sparks flying. "Have you seen how humans treat one another?! Get off your high horse and pretending your the victim!"

"Exactly! Humans are hypocritical monsters willing to betray one another on a daily basis!"

"And Faunus aren't?!" Lyxus shot back as he ducked underneath a swing, delivering a roundhouse kick to Adam's chin, disorienting him. "The White Fang claim they're fighting for Faunus, but what about the ones who don't agree with you?! All you do is cause trouble for them!"

How did Lyxus even know this stuff? He remembered nothing about his past, yet he spoke so fervently about this as if it were common knowledge to him. Among the many books he collected during his month-long stay at Beacon since he became apart of RWBAY was a book about the history of Faunus. How they had been mistreated, abhorred and tormented throughout the Great War and even today. There was also the book about the White Fang and its history. Needless to say, he immediately felt for the ones who felt persecuted.

However, Faunus were hardly the only ones being discriminated.

There were humans as well, humans who couldn't fend for themselves or are being taken advantage of by those in power. There were even mentions of ethnicity as well, back during accounts in the Great War. The texts in the books seemed as if they were helping him remember, guiding him along.

And it was through this knowledge that he found himself infuriated with Adam Taurus.

"You idiot!"

His rage drove him to fight harder, to ensure that this narrow minded monster will be stopped. He leaped up, slamming his two twin swords down on Adam, who defended himself with Blush, sheathing his sword just in time to block the overhead strike. Adam roared, throwing him off. Lyxus landed on his feet, and once more, instinct drove him. His body turned into a blur, trailed by black rose petals before he delivered a flying dropkick at high speed to Adam's face, smashing the mask deep into the Bull Faunus' face. The force of the kick sent him flying.

Pain erupted in his face as his mask was cracked from the force of the blow. Just what was that?!

Was that a Semblance?! But how?! It should have been glyphs! As he got back up from being kicked down, he suddenly found himself scrambling for cover when Coco began to fire away at him. He couldn't keep this up forever, not with his Aura practically gone. He's have to take out the girl first, but the boy was pretty persistent. He slid behind a tree, hiding behind it as it was in the process of being broken down by several blasts of bullets.

He didn't have much time, so he to think quickly. How could he take out the both of them?

More importantly, who in the hell was that kid?!

* * *

Weiss let out a cry as she was sent flying, smacking up against the dirty earth below her. Groaning, she stumbled up to her feet, and found herself once again facing the end of a sawblade. Just before it could reach her, however, Yatsuhashi appeared in front of her, his blade across his back, and defending her from the White Fang Lieutenant's sword.

They had been going at it like this for several minutes. Even with Yatsuhashi present to back her up, this Lieutenant is still fighting strong.

He was definitely running low on Aura, and he was getting exhausted, most likely running on fumes, but the same could be said about the two of them. Sweat was running down on Yatsuhashi's face, and Weiss could feel herself short on breath. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to keep this up.

At this point, it was a battle of endurance. Who would fall first? Them or their opponent? Only one side will be victorious in this battle.

With a grunt, Yatsuhashi pushed and repelled the White Fang soldier away, knocking him away. He hit the ground and slid away, crashing into a rock. As dust kicked into the air, the man panted, his shoulders sagging a bit while Weiss joined his side, taking the moment to change her exhausted ammunition of Dust. "Daichi, are you alright?"

"I am fine, Miss Schnee," Yatsuhashi answered. "More importantly...how is your Aura?"

"Practically gone..." She shook her head regretfully. Her Aura was gradually worn away from their previous bout.

Yatsuhashi grimaced. "I as well..." He glanced at the White Fang Lieutenant, who rose up to his feet, growling. The tall student then took notice of the small cuts and bruises on the man's being. "And it seems he is without it as well."

"As if I need Aura to kill the both of you..." the Lieutenant growled.

Despite his labored breathing and sluggish movements, he was still driven to fight. He revved his chainsaw and charged at them in an angry cry. Yatsuhashi met the charge, slamming his own sword against his. From behind, Weiss moved in for a quick stab, hoping to debilitate his movements. However, the Lietenant managed to see through their ploy and snapped his head towards her, surprising her momentarily. Using this brief instance, his arm shot out and grabbed her by the scruff of her blouse.

"Eeep!" she cried, ready to bite his head off when she found herself thrown at Yatsuhashi, stunning him momentarily. He barely got his blade up in time to block a straightforward stab from him while holding Weiss with one arm. The force of the thrust sent him skidding back a bit.

"Are you alright?" He asked her as he continued to block a series of stabs.

"F-fine!" Weiss shouted, blushing. She was most definitely not used to be carrying like this. That, and as much as she would hate to admit it, she was also enjoying the feeling of his muscles. Good lord, how muscled was he?! She then caught a motion off to the corner of her eye, and warned Yatsuhashi. "Watch out!" Immediately, the large student blocked an incoming strike from the side, ducking underneath the remainder of the swing before headbutting the Lieutenant in the chin, disorienting him. Taking this opportunity, Yatsuhashi reared his sword back.

"You won't do it," the Lieutenant sneered, still dazed. "You don't have the guts."

"Perhaps," Yatsuhashi remarked. "But...I do believe it will, as Coco would say, hurt like a bitch."

He turned the sword in his hand so that the back of the blade faced the Faunus. He then brought it down on top of his head, knocking him out. The man's body swayed a bit before falling flat to the ground. The two Beacon students sighed, Yatsuhashi setting the heiress down on the ground. Once he did, he gave a low groan and kneeled, leaning on his sword. "Daichi!" Weiss cried in concern. "You alright?!"

"I'm fine...just exhausted...and a few minor wounds..."

Minor was stretching it, though. She found several cuts across his body. One of which was dangerously close to a major artery. Any closer, and it would be worse. Acting as best she could, Weiss took out a small med-kit from her pack, applying some gel to alleviate the pain before applying the bandages. As she did this, her radio sparked to life.

[ **Attention, Huntsmen,]** the pilot's voice called. **[We have received a distress beacon. What is your status?]**

"Hello?!" Weiss responded. "This is Weiss Schnee of Team RWBAY. I am with Yatsuhashi Daichi of Team CFVY. Our teams are in conflict with the White Fang! We are both out of Aura, and Yatsuhashi is injured. We need extraction!"

 **[Understood, Huntsman Schnee! Evac, on route! ETA, 5 minutes!]**

"Five minutes?!" the girl gawked. What did they think this was?! A social party?! She was about to retort until an explosion shook the ground. Stumbling, she looked to the source...and to her horror, found Lyxus being thrown into the air, smoking coming off of him before hitting the ground hard. "Shit! Lyxus!"

After Yatsuhashi reassured her that he was fine, Weiss immediately went over to her team mates side. She was greeted by a rather grim sight. His body was covered in several cuts and burns. "Ow..." he groaned, propping himself up on his elbow. "That...hurt."

Seconds later, Coco joined him, smashing against the ground back first, and performing backward somersault that ended with her on her head and legs in the air before falling back to her rear end. "Coco!" It was Yatsuhashi's turn to be concerned as he limped over to his fallen team mate and leader. "Are you okay?"

The girl groaned, craning her head. "You know when they say, mess with the bull you get the horns?" she asked, shaking her head. "I think Blake's crazy-ex took it a bit too far."

"Her crazy-ex?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"She means the red-haired racist asshole," Lyxus said, leaping up to his feet. As he did, Weiss followed his train of sight and found Adam Taurus stalking toward them, his sword drawn, and his mask partially cracked. "How are Ruby and Yang?"

"Already here, Lyxy!"

The familiar sound of a shotgun blast resounded as Yang came in and fired a kinetic energy round at Adams face. The man grunted as he was sent flying, only to bounce off a burnt tree trunk and land back on his feet, glaring at the blonde brawler. Next to her was Ruby, accompanied by Fox, Velvet and Blake, the latter of whom was being attended to by the bunny-eared Faunus.

Finally, teams CFVY and RWBAY were back together. And their remaining was this stubborn bull before them.

"Its over, Taurus," Fox said with a narrowed glare. "We outnumber you, 9 to 1."

The red haired Faunus looked at each individual teenager, taking note of their own injuries and fatigue. They may have outnumbered him...but they looked as if they were on their last legs...

Then again, one could say the same for himself. He had no Aura to muster, not even for even a small amount of strength for his Semblance. As much as Adam hated to admit it, he was as battered and beaten as they were. Even still, he refused to go down like this. He would NOT lose to filthy humans. Just as he prepared himself for one last assault, however, the sound of a roaring engine could be heard overhead. The entirety of the group looked up, finding a Bulkhead slowly descending to his position, the White Fang insignia painted into the side. Peering out from the hull was a familiar face. His radio cracked to life, and their voice entered his ear.

 **[Adam, its time to withdraw.]**

"No," he growled. "I will-"

 **[Adam...these orders are from Sienna.]**

His eyes then widened at the words. Growling in frustration, he relented and obeyed his orders. No point in defying the White Fang's leader. As the Bulkhead descended behind him, lowering a ladder, he gave a glare to the group, setting his gaze on Lyxus, the human who had earned his hate the most.

"We'll settle this later..."

With that said, he grabbed unto the ladder. Then, the Bulkhead pulled up. In a matter of seconds, the White Fang Commander flew off.

"...well..." Yang grunted as she rubbed her newly bandaged wound. "That was a thing."

"That was us being lucky," Coco grunted, hanging off of Velvet. "That asshole was way too tough for Lyx or me. I think he would have taken us all on in his state." She looked at Blake, who watched the Bulkhead leave off into the distance. "By the way, Blake? You really need to not fall for bad boy types. Asshole really liked hitting you."

"I know..." Blake nodded. "It was a toxic relationship...but I truly hoped to find some remaining good in him..."

"How in the heck did you even meet that guy?" Yang asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he's probably got a cute face, but damn does he have anger issues. And here I thought White Fang baddies were just upset and angry about how things were. That guy?" she gestured to the small fading form of the aircraft. "He takes it waaay too personally."

"She has a point," Lyxus added. "Not to mention being a hypocrite. Humans are just as bad when it comes to racism towards ourselves."

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"Skin color, ethnicity, racial differences..."

While human racism wasn't as common as prejudice towards Faunus, it was still present, especially towards individuals hailing from different Kingdoms.

However, it was rarely seen these days. Lyxus, however, knew that such prejudice among humans existed. Whether it was simply through examples that his books provided him, or some instinct, he wasn't sure. What he was sure of, however, was that Adam Taurus was a fool who wasn't looking at the bigger picture. All his actions are doing are fueling the flames of misery and hate that will eventually consume Remnant unless its inhabitants get their act together and stop behaving like self-righteous pricks. Seriously...how did the White Fang end up a bunch of morons?

"Looks like our ride's here," Ruby said. They turned and found their own Bulkhead moving towards them. However, Ruby's face was not one of happiness or relief, as she stared at the ruined remains of the settlement. "I feel so sick...how could someone..."

Yang wrapped her sister in a hug while the girl whimpered and cried. Weiss and Lyxus looked on in worry, wondering what this could do for Ruby mentally. "Take it this is her first time seeing this?" Coco asked the sole boy of the team, earning a nod. The fashionista sighed, lowering her hat. "Jesus...hell of a first mission since Initiation."

* * *

"Teams RWBAY and CFVY are returning to Vale as we speak, sir," Glynda reported to Ozpin, looking at her scroll. "The settlement was attacked and raided by the White Fang and another individual called Gehenna. We've already sent some of our own Huntsmen to sweep the area...but given the damage, the estimated casualties is..."

Ozpin didn't need to know the answer. Rather, the man let out a tired sigh as he took a sip of his coffee. "Gehenna Ragnarok," he muttered the name with a hint of contempt. "That is a name I wish I never would have to hear for the rest of my lifetime."

"As do I, sir," the blonde teacher said, eyes narrowing. "By why resurface now? And why work for the White Fang? To incite more chaos?"

"Given who we're talking about, it wouldn't surprise me at all if that were the case..." Ozpin shook his head as he set down his mug. "Whether it is to instill chaos or working for money does not matter...the fact that he's reappeared now of all times concerns me."

And it was far too coincidental for his liking. The robbing of the Fall Maiden's powers, the appearance of Lyxus Animus, Queen's movements, and the corrupted file...somehow, he knew it was linked. He was also willing to bet that Gehenna was working with Queen. It would make sense, given that the man's only goal in life seemed to be inciting chaos and mayhem wherever he went. Though he was apart of the same clan as Ruby Rose, and Lyxus Animus if his lone silver eye was anything to go by, he abused his abilities for personal gain. And it had been over twenty years since his last appearance.

 _'Just what are you planning, Salem?'_ he questioned in his mind, puzzled by this recent movement. _'Moreover...why attack a settlement?'_

It didn't make much sense. What go out of the way to attack a random settlement on the outskirts of Vale? It didn't have much significance after initial thought. But then he realized that Salem never wasted a move. Every move was planned, calculated, and held purpose.

"Glynda," he called. "Have them search the settlement for anything that may seem out of place, or something out of the ordinary."

"Of course."

With a nod, the woman left the room and went to work, leaving Ozpin alone in his office. His hands were folded in his lap, his expression one of deep thought. "Just what on earth was there that she had a madman and the White Fang attack a peaceful settlement?" After a moment of thinking, he took out his personal scroll and dialed a number. As soon as the other end picked up, he gave them the order. "Qrow, I have a favor to ask you..."

* * *

The way back to Vale was one of silence and awkward.

No one said a word as they were seated in the bulkhead, their individual wounds properly attended to. The atmosphere was rather bleak, considering that they failed their mission before it even begun, and barely escaped alive.

Yang was still comforting Ruby, who had cried herself to sleep and rested in her bosom. Weiss was being tended to by Velvet and Fox, despite her assurances that she was fine, her pride more wounded than anything else. Yatsuhashi was fixing himself up, and seemed more concerned about Coco's wellbeing, even though she played it off. She was lying, but it was clear she didn't want to worry her team. Blake sat next to Lyxus, who seemed forlorned and weary while the amnesiac himself was trying to distract himself by reading a book. The amber-eyed girl was preoccupied with her own thoughts, thinking back to her bout with Adam and questioning his partnership with Gehenna.

It was just so strange to see how Adam and the White Fang would be working with a human...especially one as unhinged as Gehenna. And Adam called HIM a monster...it spoke volumes of his character. Adam despised humans, so to him they were monsters already...but to refer to that psycho in such a vehement, almost terrified tone...it made her wonder who he was. More importantly, his apparent connection to Ruby and Yang's mothers. It was obvious that he knew them, and apparently the half-sisters took a great deal out of their parents if he mistook the girls for them. There was also something else that caught her interest, which Gehenna had mentioned with such intrigue and curiosity.

And that interest was next to her.

Blake didn't catch most of it, but it was apparently Gehenna who left behind that scar on his neck. It was even possible that Gehenna was the one who caused him to lose his memories in the first place. What did that mean, though? What was their relationship? Enemies? Rivals? Former allies before a betrayal? The last one seemed...unlikely. It was probably her just projecting. Even still, it worried her to know that one of her partners was somehow involved with a man who cared for the lives of none. Someone even Adam hated far more than humans themselves. Remembering her former comrade and lover, her heart ached. Just...how long would it be before her secret was blown out of the water? Weiss would definitely question her about their relationship, especially if she did more research on the Bull Faunus.

She didn't want to think about that. In fact, she didn't dare to. She needed to find a distraction. She looked at the book in Lyxus' hands, and grew curious.

"Lyxus," Blake called his name, earning his attention. "Why are you reading a book about Semblances?"

"...I'm just doing some research." The male replied, not taking his eyes away from the pages. "I've seen your semblances in action, as well as Gehenna's...I've been wondering if there was a way to counter it the next time we meet."

Yang looked up, quirking an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "What's he got?"

"Accelerated Regeneration," Yatsuhashi answered. "He can heal his wounds at a near instant rate, though it appears downside to his Semblance is that he cannot use his Aura while it is in effect. He is no doubt focusing it on the wounds that are inflicted upon him."

Lyxus nodded. "That's what it seemed like to me," he said before he frowned. "But..."

"But?" the blonde buxom brawler drawled. "But what?"

"...out of curiosity, is it possible to mimic someone's Semblance?"

That earned attention.

"Copying a Semblance?" Velvet asked. "Why do you ask?"

"I am curious," Lyxus responded.

The teens looked at one another in confusion. Before long it was Weiss who answered. "Well, there are instances where people can have the same semblance, but it's mainly because they possess a hereditary semblance that passes from parent to child, like my Glyphs. But even then, hereditary semblances are quite rare. Outside of that...there has been no instance of two people having the same semblance. They're manifestations of our souls. So each one is bound to be different."

"O-oh..."

"Why do you ask, Lyxy Boy?" Coco inquired. "Pretty odd question."

Lyxus looked a bit unsure of what he should say, biting his lip out of frustration, more out of something that he was trying to explain in the best way he could before he sighed, and held up a hand. In seconds, everyone's eyes were on him as a familiar sigil danced in his palm, resembling a crystalline blue snowflake. "I think..." he said slowly. "That's my Semblance."

The room fell silent as everyone tried to process what they had just heard and witnessed. His Semblance...was Mimicry?

"...damn," Coco whistled. "Not bad, kid."

"W-wha-how-what?!" Weiss gawked, unable to believe what she was seeing. She saw the Semblance of her own family, her heritage...being used by someone else. "How are you doing that?!"

"W-well, its more on concepts and instinct," he said. "I just guessed that you manifested your Semblance in the form of a 'concept.' For example," he took out a small coin from his pocket, proceeding to spin it against the floor. As he did, he activated the Semblance, creating a yellow Glyph underneath the coin. As soon as the glyph formed, the coin began to move faster, spinning rapidly and showing no signs of stopping. "By holding the concept of 'speeding up' when manifesting Aura into a certain place, the glyph can increase the speed of an object inside it. Another idea would be holding the concept of 'creating fire' when firing a bullet through the glyph, which is then encased in fire."

Weiss listened intently to his explanation. He was more or less correct regarding how her Glyphs functioned. But did he really learn all of that from concepts and instinct?

"How'd you figure that out?" Blake asked the question on her mind.

"Guess work, mostly," he answered, scratching the back of his neck as he dismissed the glyph and pocketed the coin away. "To be honest, I didn't even remember how to use my Semblance until fighting Gehenna...and even then, the details are hazy. I barely remember what I did to the guy!"

Coco snorted. "I'll tell you what you did," she said whimsically. "You kicked his ass like he was a fish in a barrel. Seriously, for a guy with amnesia, you are terrifying when you're angry. You're, like, the Angry Green Man!"

"Angry...Green Man?" Lyxus tilted his head in befuddlement. "Who is he?"

"Movie hero," Fox answered. "Anyway, quite the impressive Semblance. Have you copied any others?"

"Well, I think I remember using Ruby's and Blake's back there...but I still don't have a clue about how Yang's works."

Weiss hummed, folding her arms. "So...to use a Semblance, you have to understand how it works?"

"I...think so," Lyxus said, though he sounded uncertain. "Like I said, the details are still a bit hazy."

"Alright," Yang said. "How does Ruby's and Blake's Semblance work?"

"Well, from what I can tell, Ruby's Semblance is, to put it bluntly, speed." Lyxus began his explanation. "Her body could move much faster than what it originally could, but from what I've seen, her reactions haven't quite matched up to them yet. Its more like...her Aura is strengthening certain parts of her muscles while increasing her own speed. Like an adrenaline booster. As for Blake's, she's molding her Aura into a somewhat physical shape - her shadow clones. Although she only uses some Aura to make them, so they aren't very sturdy or solid." His brow fuddled in thought. "And in regards to how they take attacks in her place, her clones manifest in the enemy's line of sight in front of her, hiding her real self from view."

Blake didn't show it, but she went cold.

"At least, that's how I think it went," he said a moment later. "Anyway...when are we getting home? I don't know about you, but I really feel like crap...and this drive isn't making anything easier."

"Hopefully soon. I'll admit, this isn't exactly a smooth flight with our injuries..." Fox commented.

Velvet nodded in agreement. "I hear that," she said. "I hope we get home soon...I miss the comfort of my bed."

"I hear ya there, Bun-Bun," Coco laughed. She then stifled a yawn. "You know what? Screw it...wake me up when we get home."

The yawn was apparently infectious, as Lyxus soon followed, covering his mouth. "You've had a day," Weiss told him. "Why not get some sleep? We'll wake you when we're back at Beacon."

"Okay...thanks, Weiss."

With a grateful nod, Lyxus stashed away the book, reclined in his seat, and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, the sounds of steady breathing could be heard from him.

"...I must admit, this boy has great integrity," Yatsuhashi said. "Facing a madman like that, and braving everything despite having no memory to guide him."

"Indeed." Fox nodded. "He was a valiant fighter."

Weiss sighed softly, shaking his head. "If you ask me...he tries too much."

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...

 _"...us? Lyxus... Lyx!"_

 _"Mnrgh...huh?"_

 _A pair of mismatched eyes opened, soon meeting silver orbs, owned by a girl, seventeen years of age, with black and red hair with a white cloak wrapped around her. "Good grief," the girl said, smiling. "If you stayed under that tree any longer, I thought I might have had to splash some water on you."_

 _"Please don't..." The boy groaned as he struggled to wake himself up._

 _He gave himself a few slaps to the face, shaking his head before he leaped up to his feet. "God, I feel so sluggish..."_

 _"That's what you get for taking a nap under a tree," the girl chastised him before she grinned. "Anyway, come on! The ship for Beacon's going to leave any minute now!"_

 _"Whoa, slow down," the boy said, holding up his hands while smiling. "The ship isn't going anywhere. Also, for Dust's sake, calm down, sis. I mean, sure, it's going to be Beacon, but seriously."_

 _The girl groaned. "Ugh, Lyx! How many times have I told you! Its ######, not 'sis!'"_

 _"Sorry, but you're the closest thing I've got to a sibling since I came to the Isle, so I'm afraid the name is sticking."_

 _Once more, the girl groaned. "Why do I even bother?" The boy merely chuckled in amusement, much to the annoyance of the girl. "Anyway, let's go go gooooo!"_

 _The boy merely shook his head in amusement. His sister had every right to be excited. At any rate, the two left, though on the way to the docks, everyone had given them their congrats. In the past five years that the boy had been here, he had somehow wormed his way into the hearts and welcomed him with open arms. That, and it was hard to hate someone who was backed up by the most liveliest girl in all of Patch. They received a few farewell presents such as a basket of fruit, flowers and the like, though the girl's personal favorite was the weapons mod that a few of the neighborhood kids had saved up to get her. Needless to say, the boy laughed, remarking that her face was as if Christmas had come early. After several farewell gifts later, they eventually reached the docks and found the Bulkhead there, still primed and ready._

 _"Come on, hustle Lyx!" the girl shouted as she ran at top speed. "Its gonna take off!"_

 _"Slow down, will ya?!" the boy shot back, panting. Sadly, his sister figure did not heed his words. By some miraculous luck, he managed to get inside two minutes after she had. The doors closed behind him, though he didn't notice as he slumped down to the floor, leaning on the wall while he panted. "T-too...too much running..."_

 _"Aw, you're just out of shape!" She giggled. "That's what you get for napping all the time!"_

 _"Shaddup..." the boy responded. "Dust...I thought tomorrow was gonna be leg day."_

 _"It's always leg day!"_

 _The boy groaned. Well, she wasn't exactly wrong there..._

 _"Jesus man, you okay there?" a male voice called out. "You look tired as hell." He looked up, and found a young teen standing close to him, with light blonde hair and lilac blue eyes, wearing a yellow shirt under a brown vest with a metal shoulder pad on his right shoulder and dark brown pants. A gloved hand was extended to him, holding a water bottle._

 _"Oh, hey ###!" The girl greeted with a smile and wave._

 _The blonde smiled back at her while the boy gratefully took the bottle. "Thanks ###," he said gratefully, popping open the cap. "You are a lifesaver."_

 _"Have to be, if you've got ###### here as your drill sergeant," the blonde joked while he drank the waterbottle with gusto, the chilling water washing over his throat and providing a well-needed feeling. "So, you guys excited for Beacon?"_

 _"Heck yes!" The girl jumped up and down in excitement._

 _"Yeah," the boy nodded._

 _He was nowhere near as excited as the girl, but he was certainly looking forward to what Beacon had to offer. As the Bulkhead soon ascended into the air, he looked out the window, finding a brilliant and beautiful view just outside, with a bright blue sky hanging above with white streaks, the ocean below them, and the views of Isles and cities passing by. "Heck of a view," the blonde remarked. "Makes making new memories all the more worthwhile, eh Lyx?"_

 _"Yeah..."_

 _The girl frowned at the blonde. "###, what have we said about bringing up Lyx's past?"_

 _"Ooh, right..." the blonde winced. "Sorry man."_

 _The boy laughed, waving a hand. "Its fine, really," he said. "I mean, sure I don't remember anything...but I'm not gonna dwell on it. I mean, I've made some pretty good memories for these last five years." He paused as he turned his head to the side. "For example, two people starting a fight on a Bulkhead."_

 _"Wait, what?" The blonde turned, just in time to duck as someone was sent flying, nearly hitting him. "What the hell?!"_

 _The girl turned to where her two friends were facing, and was surprised that a brawl actually was taking place not too far from them. Several students were getting involved, charging at the two individuals who were apparently the cause of the brawl. They weren't able to get a good look at them, other than that one of them was wearing a cape and beating anyone who got close to him with his bare hands, whereas the other had long black hair and knocking everyone away with a katana._

 _"Well," the blonde said. "This is a thing." That was the last thing he said before an incoming student knocked into him and was sent flying, promptly slamming into the wall. The boy and girl got out of the way when more came coming. The blonde got up and rolled to the left, evading yet another student close to hitting him. "And ridiculous!"_

 _"What's going on?!" Lyxus asked as he ducked for cover underneath a bench._

 _"Don't know! Also, INCOMING!"_

 _He and the girl dropped to the ground as a pair of students and another bench sailed overhead. Seconds later, one of the apparent instigators was thrown close to them, sliding on his back. "God fucking dammit," he groaned, getting back up to his feet. His hair was black, and had dark eyes while wearing a white shirt to compliment the cape. "My sister and my damn luck...seriously, why'd I have to get stuck with a shitty Semblance?"_

 _"Curse!" the girl cried, glaring at him in disapproval. "You said a curse!"_

 _The boy and the cape-wearing teen shot her a look. "...seriously, sis?" he questioned. "We're seventeen! I'm pretty sure we're allowed to curse!"_

 _"Not until we're graduated we're not!" She countered._

 _The cape wearing teen looked at the boy. "...is she serious?"_

 _"Unfortunately," he sighed. "So, how'd you start a fight with everyone on the ship?"_

 _"My Semblance, my sister, and my luck," he answered. "Trust me, bad combination. Name's ####. You?"_

 _"My name's..."_

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...us? Lyxus... Lyx!"

"Mnrgh...h-huh?"

A pair of mismatched eyes opened, finding two pools of silver staring back at him, owned by a young girl with red and black hair with a red cloak around her. "Rise and shine, sleepy-head," Ruby told him. "We're back at Beacon."

"O-oh..." he yawned, holding a hand to his mouth. His body felt so tired, yet at the same time, relieved of the stress that was the mission. He also felt a bit of confusion as he got out of his seat. That dream, and those people...was that a memory? And he had gone to Beacon before? So strange...and that girl...she looked just like Ruby too, except obviously older and of the same age as Yang and the other girls. Stranger still was that he couldn't recall their names. When they introduced themselves, their names became blurred by static, preventing him from hearing it. So close...but was it really a memory? Surely Ozpin would have recognized him if he had gone to Beacon already. "You okay now, Ruby?" he asked as he exited the Bulkhead, stepping back onto the landing platform of Beacon Academy. "What happened back there..."

"I...I'm fine...I think..."

She didn't look fine. Her eyes were still slightly red, and her tone wasn't as lively or chipper that it should have been. "Hey," he told her with a smile. "I'm here if you need a shoulder to lean on. Along with three other girls who trust you."

"...Okay..." She murmured softly.

She managed a small smile at that. It was definitely an improvement.

"By the way, I...think I remember something," Lyxus told her as they walked. Not far from them, and waiting at the entrance, was the rest of Team RWBAY. Upon hearing this, Ruby grew excited. "I think I might have...been to Beacon before. I think I had a sister too."

"You have? Wait, you have a sister too?!" She asked, her previous depression all but forgotten.

"Yeah...I'm not for certain...but she resembles a lot like you..."

That caused Ruby to blink. Someone who looked like her? Well, she had been told that she looked a lot like her mom, but hearing that she resembled someone else was kind of curious. "But...I don't think we were actually brother and sister. If anything, I think she was like a sister figure. I'm not sure...we were on a ship to Beacon and somehow ended up getting into an all-out brawl with one of our friends and two others."

"Really?" Ruby asked him. Something like that really happened?

He nodded. Before he could continue, Yang walked up to him and gave him a playful punch. "Nice to see you up, sunshine," she greeted with a grin. "Had a nice nap?"

"Yeah...It was...interesting."

"Yang, Yang! Lyxus said he might've remembered something!"

Ruby announced excitedly, immediately earning the girls' attention, eyes becoming focused on him. He gave a bashful look, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just a small memory, nothing more than that," he told them. "I might have a sister figure somewhere out there, and I might have been to Beacon before, but I'm not sure. There's still a lot of stuff that's just confusing."

"Like how?" Blake inquired. "Lyxus, this is a good thing. It means we have a lead. Do you remember what your sister's name is?"

"No...she did say it, but I couldn't catch it. Whenever someone I think I know is important says their name, it gets hidden by static or something."

"Could be a mental block," Weiss offered. "Some cases of amnesia are caused by mental trauma, blocking certain parts to a person's past. What does your sister look like?"

"A lot like Ruby, strangely," he answered. "Silver eyes, black and red hair, she even had a cloak, except it was white instead of red." Unknown to either, both Ruby and Yang's forms went rigid upon hearing this. That description...it sounded almost like... "And we apparently had a friend with blonde hair. He had the same eyes as Yang...and somehow we got involved in a free-for-all brawl in a bulkhead because of two siblings. The brother said it was because of his sister, his luck and his Semblance."

Blake and Weiss were intrigued with the descriptions, but Ruby and Yang paled considerably. Those descriptions and traits...they sounded eerily familiar. But that was...impossible. There's no way it could have been...

"Good, you've returned safely." The group turned, and found Ozpin approaching, cane and mug in hand. "Albeit a bit worse for wear."

"You can say that again..." Lyxus stated, picking at his bandages. The girls were also in agreement on that. The amnesiac also noticed the lack of presence from Team CFVY, looking around. "Where's Coco and the others?"

"Already returned, and gave their report," the Headmaster answered. "I've already received the details, though I would like a report from Team RWBAY as well. In the meantime, though, why don't you all rest? You've clearly earned yourselves a break."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin," Weiss bowed her head gratefully, the others following suit. "I'll deliver the report as soon as possible."

"Why don't I do that for you, Weiss?" Lyxus asked, turning to her. "Besides, I want to tell the Headmaster about what I learned. Maybe he could help?"

"Oh?" Ozpin quirked an eyebrow. "Remembered something about yourself?" The boy nodded. "Very well, then. The rest of Team RWBAY is officially on break for the time being. Now then, Mr. Animus, follow me. Tell me what you've remembered."

Lyxus nodded, and followed the man, thus leaving the girls to themselves. They were making their way to the dorms while Ruby and Yang hung back, still a bit shaken. "H-hey, Yang," she whispered to her sister. "You don't think that the sister Lyxus had was..."

"Can't be," she argued. "Mom would have told us! Also, if what he said is true, she would have to have been back at our age. No way Lyx is that old."

It was the truth. If Lyxus had been at Beacon back then, he'd have to be he same age as their dad and uncle. And he didn't look a day past 17!

It just raised more questions than answers...and it only added more questions as to who Lyxus really was.

* * *

 **-Chapter...END-**

* * *

Next Time: Troubles in Paradise (I) - Jaundice


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